D1: Tools for Usability and Accessibility Analysis

Short- and Medium-Term Outcomes:

• Created a Mobile Usability Lab that serves as an effective tool for in-depth RERC analysis of the accessibility of targeted medical devices for persons with diverse functional impairments and disabilities.
• Effectively applied the MU-Lab for a range of internal RERC studies and transferred to other groups interested in studying the accessibility and usability of medical instrumentation. Some equpiment evaluated with the MU-Lab includes:
  • Dental chairs, exam table, hospital beds, weight scales (study at Marquette University by Melissa Lemke)
  • Ergometers, blood pressure monitor, SPO2 monitors (study at Marquette University by Sean Campbell)
  • Novel universal ergometer (study at Marquette University by Elizabeth Omiatek)
  • Imaging platforms: X-ray, CT, Fluoroscopy (study at UCSF by UC Ergonomics team)
  • Talking glucometers and syringe loading devices (study by UC Ergonomics team)
  • Pill splitters, pill bottles, pill storage containers (study by UC Ergonomics team)
  • Ambulatory and volumetric infusion pumps (study at Marquette University by Peggy Keane)

Objectives:

The aim of this project was to develop an innovative usability & accessibility analysis tool that could be used for assessing the use of targeted medical instrumentation by subject populations including individuals with a diverse range of disabilities. The MU-Lab is a core technology of the RERC-AMI, and the key "clients" that used this tool are the following projects:

• R2 Usability Analysis
• D2 Development
• R3 Accessibility Measurement
• D3 Emerging & Accessibility Technologies

A unique multi-site team based in both Wisconsin and California worked together to address the need for a mobile, web-based, multi-site data collection and analysis tool. Our deliverable, called the Mobile Usability Lab (or MU-Lab for short), blends our collective expertise in ergonomics, usability engineering, universal design and rehabilitation biomechanics methods.

• Background
• Development Team from Marquette University and University of California Ergonomics Lab
• MU-Lab Hardware and Suitcase
• MU-Lab's Protocol Manager
• MU-Lab Data Analysis Using MVTA
• MU-Lab Manual (RERC-AMI Tech Report TR-001)
• Highlighted Project: Melissa Lemke's MS thesis (2005) on evaluating the MU-Lab and MED-AUDIT assessment tools for biomechanical analyses.