As smart solutions for healthcare (eHealth) are becoming increasingly widespread, apps and other digital devices may effectively complement various forms of psychotherapy. We point at children and adolescents in psychological therapy as a yet-underserved public for similar solutions. Moreover, a shared design sensibility between interaction designers, game designers, and therapists is still lacking. The Games 4 Therapy initiative was launched to address this problem space through practical design explorations. We illustrate its design research agenda, we call for more attention to children and adolescents as important recipients of digitally-mediated psychological therapies, and we offer actionable concepts and game design tactics for interaction designers and psychotherapists. Finally, we discuss our findings by "thinking through" a selection of conceptual design explorations, pointing at the characteristics and tactics we identified in our sketches.
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Aim: There is often a gap between the ideal of involving older persons iteratively throughout the design process of digital technology, and actual practice. Until now, the lens of ageism has not been applied to address this gap. The goals of this study were: to voice the perspectives and experiences of older persons who participated in co-designing regarding the design process; their perceived role in co-designing and intergenerational interaction with the designers; and apparent manifestations of ageism that potentially influence the design of digital technology. Methods: Twenty-one older persons participated in three focus groups. Five themes were identified using thematic analysis which combined a critical ageism ‘lens’ deductive approach and an inductive approach. Results: Ageism was experienced by participants in their daily lives and interactions with the designers during the design process. Negative images of ageing were pointed out as a potential influencing factor on design decisions. Nevertheless, positive experiences of inclusive design pointed out the importance of “partnership” in the design process. Participants defined the “ultimate partnership” in co-designing as processes in which they were involved from the beginning, iteratively, in a participatory approach. Such processes were perceived as leading to successful design outcomes, which they would like to use, and reduced intergenerational tension. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential role of ageism as a detrimental factor in how digital technologies are designed. Viewing older persons as partners in co-designing and aspiring to more inclusive design processes may promote designing technologies that are needed, wanted and used.
Jonge kinderen met overgewicht is een actueel probleem, met name bij bevolkingsgroepen met een migratie-achtergrond en een lage sociaaleconomische status in grote steden zoals Amsterdam. Om overgewicht tegen te gaan is het belangrijk om al op jonge leeftijd in te zetten op een gezonde leefstijl met goede voeding en voldoende beweging en slaap. Daarnaast heeft de opvoeding van ouders ook een grote invloed op het ontwikkelen van een (on)gezond gewicht, met name bij jonge kinderen. Vaak worden leefstijlinterventies ingezet om overgewicht tegen te gaan, veelal ontwikkeld door voedings- en beweegprofessionals en gezondheidsbevorderaars. Diverse programma’s voor het stimuleren van een gezonde leefstijl en het tegengaan van overgewicht werken met een cultuursensitieve aanpak om aan te sluiten bij de doelgroep. Deze aanpak vraagt ook om pedagogische expertise, aangezien de opvoeding een belangrijke rol speelt. Als expert op het gebied van opvoeding is het aan de pedagoog om deze expertise ook in te zetten bij de gezonde ontwikkeling van kinderen in de grote stad. Het samenbrengen van expertises met betrekking tot opvoeding en een gezonde leefstijl moet leiden tot een nieuwe en effectieve strategie in de bestrijding van overgewicht bij jonge kinderen waarbij rekening wordt gehouden met culturele en etnische verschillen in opvattingen en gedrag van ouders ten aanzien van opvoeding en een gezonde leefstijl.De onderzoeksvragen van deze studie zijn:1. Op welke wijze hanteren internationale en lokale leefstijlinterventies voor gezinnen met jonge kinderen in de voorschoolse periode (1-4 jaar) een cultuursensitieve aanpak?2. Hanteren deze leefstijlinterventies ook een pedagogisch onderbouwde aanpak?
The purpose of this project was to create a roadmap with selected mechanisms to assist destination management organisations to optimize the benefits generated by tourism for their destination communities and ensure that it is shared equitably. By providing tools to identify and address inequality in terms of access to the benefits and value tourism generates, it is envisaged that a more equitable tourism model can be implemented leading to the fair distribution of benefits in destination communities, potentially increasing the value for previously excluded or underserved groups. To produce the roadmap, the study team will explore the range of challenges that hinder the equitable distribution of tourism-induced benefits in destinations as well as the enabling factors that influence the extent to which this is achieved. The central question the research team has set out to answer is the following: What does an equitable tourism model look like for destination communities?Societal issueHowever, while those directly involved in tourism will gain the most, the burden of hosting visitors is widely felt by local communities. This imbalance has, unsurprisingly, sparked civil mobilisations and protests in destinations around the world. It’s clear that placemaking and benefit-sharing must be part of the future of destination management to maintain public support. This project addressed issues around equity (environmental, economic, spatial, cultural and tourism experience). In line with the intentions set out in the CELTH Agenda Conscious Destinations.Benefit to societyBased on 25 case studies around 40 mechanisms were identified that can grow or better distribute the value from tourism, so that more people in destination communities benefit. These mechanisms are real-world practices already in use. DMOs and NTOs can consider introducing the mechanisms that best fit their destination context, pulling levers such as: taxes and revenue sharing, business incubation and training, licencing and zoning, community enterprises and volunteering, and product development..This report also outlines a pathway to an Equity-Driven Management (EDM) approach, which is grounded in participatory decision-making principles and aims to create a more equitable tourism system by strengthening the hand of destination governance and retaining control of local resources.Collaborative partnersNBTC, the Travel Foundation, Destination Think, CELTH, ETFI, HZ.
