Andrew May

Loughborough University, Design School, Faculty Member

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Research Fellow, User Centered Design, and Director of the Research Degrees Programme

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Papers by Andrew May

Capturing Volunteered Information For Inclusive Service Design: Potential Benefits And Challenges

The Design Journal, 2013

Inclusive Design focuses on understanding the broad spectrum of peoples' needs and abilities... more Inclusive Design focuses on understanding the broad spectrum of peoples' needs and abilities, with a view to developing more successful products and services. However, peoples' experiences with products and services are dynamic and multi-layered, presenting a unique set of challenges for Inclusive Designers. This paper presents the concept of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) as an integral part of future inclusive services. By utilising crowd-sourced data, services can become more efficient, intuitive and relevant for ...

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Bus use in a developing world city: Implications for the health and well-being of older passengers

by Sharon E Cook, Carlos Aceves-Gonzalez, and Andrew May

Journal of Transport & Health, 2015

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to investigate the implications of bus use on the health and ... more ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to investigate the implications of bus use on the health and well-being of older passengers in a developing world city. Two complementary methods were used. Twenty-six participants aged 60 and over in Guadalajara, Mexico took part in four focus groups to identify the door-to-door elements of the bus service that impose difficulty in terms of accessing and using it, and their impact on the perceived or actual safety, usability and comfort of older passengers. The second part of the study comprised real time observation of 144 older passengers, to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of the bus service and the observed behaviour of older passengers. The results show that issues such as driver behaviour, features of bus design, crowded buses, pedestrian infrastructure and other passengers׳ behaviour present difficulty to older passengers who need or want to use the bus service. The existence of these issues presents serious implications for older users in terms of perceived or actual safety, usability and comfort. Given the importance of the role of public transport, the overall conclusion is that there is an urgent need for further improvement of bus services to maintain and promote the health and well-being of older people.

An observational comparison of the older and younger bus passenger experience in a developing world city

by Carlos Aceves-Gonzalez, Sharon E Cook, and Andrew May

Ergonomics, 2015

This study was an unobtrusive observational analysis of 333 older and younger bus passengers in G... more This study was an unobtrusive observational analysis of 333 older and younger bus passengers in Guadalajara, Mexico. A set of data were collected for each observed passenger, as well as more general observations related to driver behaviour, bus design and bus service characteristics. There were significant differences between older and younger passengers in terms of boarding and alighting times, use of handrails, seat location preferences, passenger stability and coping strategies in order to maintain postural stability. The conditions of travel are conducive to a poor passenger experience for the older passengers in particular. Although the problems may be attributed to bus design and driver behaviour typical of that in developing countries, they are also influenced by the wider transport infrastructure, and a lack of a regulatory regime which places drivers under time pressure and in direct competition with each other. Practitioner Summary: Bus services must cater for all ages of passengers, including the elderly. This unobtrusive observational study investigated the passenger experience in a developing world city. Bus and wider service design were found to compromise the journey experience, with the older users being particularly negatively impacted. Design recommendations are provided.

Opportunities for WSN for facilitating fire emergency response

by Raj Prasanna, Andrew May, and Lili Yang

2010 Fifth International Conference on Information and Automation for Sustainability, 2010

Abstract The number of firefighter deaths and casualties (274 in 2007, 352 in 2006) published in ... more Abstract The number of firefighter deaths and casualties (274 in 2007, 352 in 2006) published in the latest UK fire statistics demonstrates the demand for better support for first responders. More complete information can help the fire Incident Commanders (ICs) analyze the risks and deal with the hazards more efficiently. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have shown great potential in providing information from inside the building. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive understanding of how ICs retrieve the ...

Safety Data Analysis Plan

by Ruth Welsh, Tracy Ross, and Andrew May

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sub-Project 4 (abbreviated as SP4) of TeleFOT deals with the evaluation and ass... more EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sub-Project 4 (abbreviated as SP4) of TeleFOT deals with the evaluation and assessment of data collected during the various Field Operational Tests (FOTs) throughout the testsites in the project. The prime aim is to ensure that appropriate and rigorous analyses are conducted in order to identify the impacts of aftermarket and nomadic device/function use with confidence & validity.

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Design of the User Experience for Personalized Mobile Services

This article describes how user centered, and particularly co-design methods can help maximize us... more This article describes how user centered, and particularly co-design methods can help maximize user experience for personalized services delivered over a mobile device. The specific focus was designing for Chinese spectators at large sports events (such as football matches, swimming galas or athletics meetings). User experience was assumed to comprise user, product, social, cultural and usage context components. Co-design methods were incorporated into a semi-structured HCI design process that comprised content, conceptual, interaction and presentation design, followed by field and lab-based user evaluation. There were two co-design methods in particular which were found to be key to working effectively with Chinese users. Emotion Cards were used to help overcome some of the inhibitions of participants and to encourage them to provide more open and unequivocal design input. The User Advisory Board was a group of participants who mediated the relationship between the designer and other participants at various design stages. They helped to ensure genuine collaboration because the wider participants felt (1) less like the object of study and (2) more able to communicate their needs during the design process.

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Evaluating a concept design of a crowd-sourced 'mashup' providing ease-of-access information for people with limited mobility

by Andrew May and Christopher J . Parker

This study investigates the impact of using a concept map-based 'mashup' (www. accessadvisr.net) ... more This study investigates the impact of using a concept map-based 'mashup' (www. accessadvisr.net) to provide volunteered (i.e. user contributed) ease of access information to travellers with limited mobility. A scenario-based user trial, centred around journey planning, was undertaken with 20 participants, divided equally between (1) those who have physical restrictions on their mobility, due to disability, illness or injury, and (2) those with practical mobility constraints due to being parents with young children who have to use a child's pushchair when using public transport. Both user groups found the concept useful, but its potential impact was less for the pushchair user group. There were mixed views in relation to the ability of the mashup to convey the trustworthiness, credibility and reliability of information necessary for journey planning. The study identified a number of key information-related user requirements which help enable effective design of user contributed web-based resources for travellers with mobility-related issues.

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A novel, real-time biomechanical feedback system for use in rowing

by Andrew May and Ben J Halkon

Biomechanical feedback in water-based rowing is traditionally presented as paper reports or video... more Biomechanical feedback in water-based rowing is traditionally presented as paper reports or video overlaid with data once a session has been completed. Research into the provision of extrinsic feedback in sport suggests that real-time feedback can lead to skill acquisition and, when appropriately applied, lead to skill retention during competition and therefore a positive performance outcome. This paper presents a novel system architecture that delivers real-time feedback using commercially available off-the-shelf components. The development of a rowing specific system to test a range of feedback strategies is presented, including fading feedback, mixing feedback modalities and varying of the frequency and timing of feedback. MoSync, a cross-platform smartphone development language, was used to write the client application while the server was written as an embedded application in C and Lua that ran on top of the OpenWrt open-source router operating system. Data was transmitted wirelessly across a Wi-Fi network. A human-centred design process was led by a group of high-performance athletes and coaches and the system was shown to deliver data to up to 10 clients simultaneously. Future research will investigate the efficacy of a variety of different feedback strategies to rowers.

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Empirical investigation of the impact of using codesign methods when generating proposals for sustainable travel solutions

by Val Mitchell, Andrew May, and Christopher J . Parker

This paper presents an empirical comparison of idea generation within the context of reducing the... more This paper presents an empirical comparison of idea generation within the context of reducing the number of single occupancy car journeys to and from a UK university campus. Separate co-design and consultative groups were matched with respect to (1) creativity when problem solving, (2) normal commuting mode and (3) intention to adopt sustainable behaviours. The co-design group generated a significantly greater number of innovative ideas than the consultative group (using an email-based methodology); however, this was due to the greater number of total ideas (rather than the higher proportion of innovative ideas) generated by this group. The co-design group was able to think more systemically about potential solutions and generate proposals that were not either linked to their own commute mode, or aligned with any one specific mode of transport. The findings suggest that co-design offers benefits as a process for idea generation within the sustainable travel context as it promotes idea generation and a more holistic perspective on the problem and potential solutions.

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Patterns of use, perceived benefits and reported effects of access to navigation support systems: an inter-European field operational test

by Andrew May and Marianne Karlsson

The study presents findings regarding drivers' patterns of use, attitude towards, and reported ef... more The study presents findings regarding drivers' patterns of use, attitude towards, and reported effects of access to mature nomadic navigation support systems. Three different systems were tested by 582 drivers in four-field operational tests for a period of six months. A majority of the participants used the support system for trips where the route/ destination was unfamiliar but there were also other use scenarios. The main benefits entailed convenience and comfort. Reported effects involved increased possibilities to choose the route according to preferences; a decrease in the time it took to reach destinations and in the distance covered to reach the destination. One in four reported a decrease in fuel consumption attributed an increased compliance with speed limits and/or that driving around and searching for the correct route to reach the desired destination could be avoided. A majority reported 'no change' regarding the number of journeys made by car. Reported effects (whether increases or decreases) were however smaller than expected before the trial.

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Pre-installation challenges: classifying barriers to the introduction of smart home technology

by Luis Oliveira, Val Mitchell, and Andrew May

Increasing technological developments indicate potential for a variety of improvements in the dom... more Increasing technological developments indicate potential for a variety of improvements in the domestic environment. As part of an interdisciplinary research project, this study interviewed households prior to the installation of smart home technologies (SHTs) in order to identify critical issues at the pre-installation phase. Semi-structured interviews took place in 16 houses before the installation of SHTs, when a range of smart sensors and controls were presented to households for the first time. At this stage, they started to make key decisions about which devices to use, where to install, and how to position them. Participants mentioned diverse issues surrounding the introduction of SHTs. To guide the qualitative analysis, an organizing framework for research on smart homes and their users was used. This paper indicates that, even though participants appreciate the functional aspects of SHTs and the possibilities of a better living, their concerns related to technology (hardware & software), design (acceptability & usability) and spaces (home as complex places) are numerous. These results complement the existing literature (which focuses more on the use phase) with the perceived enablers and barriers prior to the installation of SHTs.

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Opportunities and challenges for location aware computing in the construction industry

by Val Mitchell and Andrew May

Abstract This paper describes the opportunities for location aware computing to enhance informati... more Abstract This paper describes the opportunities for location aware computing to enhance information capture and use within the construction industry. The construction industry is characterized as being slow to take up innovative mobile ICT, despite the highly mobile workforce who must collaborate with a range of on and off-site personnel, and make use of large volumes of information.

Evaluating a concept design of a crowd-sourced 'mashup' providing ease-of-access information for people with limited mobility

by Tracy Ross, Christopher J . Parker, and Andrew May

This study investigates the impact of using a map-based 'mashup' to provide volunteered (i.e. use... more This study investigates the impact of using a map-based 'mashup' to provide volunteered (i.e. user contributed) ease of access information to travellers with limited mobility. A concept website (www.accessadvisr.net) was developed that enables members of the public to tag aspects of the transport network with ease of access ratings, and upload photographs and videos that highlight particular access issues. A scenario-based user trial, centred around journey planning, was undertaken with 20 participants, divided equally between (1) those who have physical restrictions on their mobility, due to disability, illness or injury, and (2) those with practical mobility constraints due to being parents with young children who have to use a child's pushchair when using public transport. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered using: (1) a 'think aloud' protocol, (2) rating scales based on quality and authority constructs, and (3) semi structured interview. Both user groups found the concept useful, but its potential impact was less for the pushchair user group. There were mixed views in relation to the ability of the mashup to convey the trustworthiness, credibility and reliability of information necessary for journey planning. The study identified a number of key information- related user requirements which help enable effective design of user contributed web-based resources for travellers with mobility-related issues.

User-centred evaluation of complex IT&T within an operational environment

The aim of this paper is to provide guidance for the user-centred evaluation of new and complex I... more

Opportunities and challenges for location aware computing in the construction industry

by Andrew May and Val Mitchell

The requirements for location based services: differences between target user groups

by Andrew May and Tracy Ross

This paper reports on original work that will determine opportunities for the development of mobi... more This paper reports on original work that will determine opportunities for the development of mobile location-based services for different user groups. Location-based services (LBS) employ knowledge of the user's location to enable the provision of new or enhanced services to a user via a wireless device (eg mobile phones, PDAs).

Using VGI to enhance user judgements of quality and authority

by Andrew May and Val Mitchell

Amateur Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) has been used together with Professional Geograp... more Amateur Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) has been used together with Professional Geographic Information (PGI) since its inception during the mid 00's alongside neogeography. While the geographic accuracy and quality of VGI has been demonstrated to be more than good enough, no previous research has been published on the influence VGI has on the user perceptions of the mashup.

A Review of User Innovation in the context of technological development, everyday mobility and social practice

by Andrew May, Val Mitchell, and G. Lyons

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Supporting the navigation task: Characteristics of'good'landmarks

Landmarks (eg traffic lights, churches, monuments) have great potential to support travellers in ... more Landmarks (eg traffic lights, churches, monuments) have great potential to support travellers in navigation tasks. Concern has been expressed regarding the current generation of vehicle navigation systems and their reliance on distances, rather than landmark information, particularly within their voice instructions. This paper describes a direction-giving study which aimed to establish which landmarks are valued for navigation and their salient characteristics.

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D. 2.2. 1 Testing and evaluation strategy

by Andrew May, S. Franzén, and P. Rämä

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