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Proceedings Article

Designing ubiquitous computing for reflection and learning in diabetes management

01 Jan 2009-pp 261-261
TL;DR: It is argued that excluding individuals from the monitoring process often leads to their disengagement from learning, and engaging individuals in proactive capture of relevant data helps them adopt a proactive attitude towards learning and enrich their understanding of their disease.
Abstract: In many areas of human enterprise, private as well as professional, individuals shape their actions and choices based on lessons learned from their past experiences. Reflection has a particular significance for individuals with chronic diseases, such diabetes. Due to the high individual differences between cases, each affected individual must find the optimal combination of lifestyle alterations and medication through reflective analysis of personal diseases history. Computing technologies, specifically ubiquitous and pervasive computing, strive to assist individuals in this daunting task by helping them to record relevant experiences and analyze the captured records for trends and correlations. However, these applications often minimize individuals’ involvement with data capture. Instead, they rely on sensor networks, biosensors, and other automated capture mechanisms. In this dissertation I argue that excluding individuals from the monitoring process often leads to their disengagement from learning. In contrast, engaging individuals in proactive capture of relevant data helps them adopt a proactive attitude towards learning and enrich their understanding of their disease. I propose that computing for reflection should promote individuals’ engagement in reflection by exploiting breakdowns in individuals’ routines or understanding, support continuity in thinking that leads to a systematic refinement of ideas, and support articulation of thoughts and understanding that helps to transform insights into knowledge. I support my claims with the empirical evidence gathered during the design and deployment of three ubiquitous computing applications that support reflection in diabetes management.

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DESIGNING UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING FOR REFLECTION AND
LEARNING IN DIABETES MANAGEMENT
A Dissertation
Presented to
The Academic Faculty
by
Lena Mamykina
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Human-Centered Computing in the
College of Computing, School of Interactive Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology
May, 2009
COPYRIGHT 2009 BY LENA MAMYKINA

DESIGNING UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING FOR REFLECTION AND
LEARNING IN DIABETES MANAGEMENT
Approved by:
Dr. Elizabeth Mynatt, Advisor
School of Interactive Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Nancy Nersessian
School of Interactive Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Gregory Abowd
School of Interactive Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Paul Dourish
Department of Informatics
Donald Bren School of Information
and Computer Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Dr. Amy Bruckman
School of Interactive Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology
Date Approved: March 31, 2009

To my husband and son.

v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work would not be possible without the help, encouragement, and support of
my many friends and colleagues who advised my throughout this journey.
First of all, I am greatly indebted to all the participants in my studies, who
welcomed me to their homes, shared with me their challenges and frustrations, and
helped me shape my prototypes.
I am grateful to the staff of the Diabetes Education Centers of Saint Clare’s
Hospital in Dover, NJ, who provided an invaluable assistance in organizing and running
my field studies. My special gratitude goes to Tricia Davidson with the hope that we will
continue our collaboration for many years to come.
Many thanks to my friends at the Everyday Computing Lab for listening to my
half-baked ideas, reading drafts of my papers, and helping me shape this dissertation. I
am particularly grateful to Mike Terry for always challenging me, keeping me on my
academic toes, and never letting me get away with anything. No bun.
I have been very fortunate to be a part of a wonderfully rich and stimulating
academic environment at Georgia Tech. My many thanks to the students and faculty at
the Human-Centered Computing program, and, especially my thesis committee, Dr.
Gregory Abowd, Dr. Amy Bruckman, Dr. Nancy Nersessian and my external committee
member, Dr. Paul Dourish.
It has been a great privilege for me to be advised by Beth, who guided me through
my journey of becoming a researcher from its very beginning. For being my role model
through the years, for the undying confidence in my abilities, and support in my academic
adventures, I am deeply indebted.

vi
My special thanks to those who sponsored my work, including my managers at
Siemens Corporate Research, in particular, Nuray Aykin, Claus Knapheide, the Office of
Information Technology at Georgia Tech, the Center for Disease Control, and Google
Health Portal.
I am truly blessed to have the most loving and supportive parents one can
imagine. I am grateful for their trust, and for always giving me the freedom to explore
and experiment.
None of this would have been possible without Kliment, who changed my life in
so many ways. For always believing in me, for taking chances with me, for always
standing by me, and for sharing his life with me I am truly grateful.
And finally, to my son, for making me laugh and for laughing with me, and for
always reminding me about what matters in life, thank you.

Citations
More filters
20 Aug 2002
TL;DR: An informal history capture and retrieval mechanism for collaborative, early-stage information design that enhances the design process itself, and provides new opportunities for reasoning about the design of complex artifacts.
Abstract: To form a deep understanding of the present; we need to construct and engage an account of the past. In this paper, we present an informal history capture and retrieval mechanism for collaborative, early-stage information design. This history system is implemented in the context of the Designers'' Outpost, a wall-scale, tangible interface for collaborative web site design. The interface elements in this history system are designed to be fluid and comfortable for early phase design. As demonstrated by an informal lab study with six professional web site designers, this history system enhances the design process itself, and provides new opportunities for reasoning about the design of complex artifacts.

150 citations

Proceedings ArticleDOI
02 May 2017
TL;DR: A conceptual framework is developed that extends the concept of the reflective practicum towards identifying appropriate roles of technology to support transformative reflection in the context of two social-emotional learning (SEL) studies.
Abstract: Designing for reflection is becoming an increasingly important part of many HCI systems in a wide range of application domains. However, there is a gap in our understanding of how the process of reflection can be supported through technology. In fact, an implicit assumption in the majority of existing work is that, just by providing access to well-selected data, in-depth reflection can and will occur. To counter this view, we draw on Schon's notion of reflective practicum and apply it as a sensitising concept to identify the complex interplay of factors that support transformative reflection in the context of two social-emotional learning (SEL) studies. The results highlight the need to carefully scaffold the process of reflection, rather than simply assume that the capability to reflect is a broadly available trait to be 'triggered' through data. Building on this analysis, we develop a conceptual framework that extends the concept of the reflective practicum towards identifying appropriate roles of technology to support transformative reflection. While our case is within the context of SEL, we argue that a deeper understanding of these opportunities can also benefit designing for reflection in other areas.

81 citations

Dissertation
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: This Thesis reports on research that has been completed to understand the role that mobile technologies can have in supporting people with chronic conditions and presents definitions of ready-to-hand in the short and long-term contexts of mobile health management.
Abstract: The management of long term chronic conditions is a complex and challenging task. The pro­ cess relies on individuals engaging in regular recording of factors that affect their health. Yet currently, the mobile tools that people carry with them are not being fully utilised to assist in this process. This Thesis reports on research that has been completed to understand the role that mo­ bile technologies can have in supporting people with chronic conditions. An individual engaging in personal monitoring is concerned with the data they collect, not the process used to capture the data. The results of the research conducted contribute to an advancement of knowledge around how mobile technologies can assist in personal reflection on health information to provide greater un­ derstanding of chronic disease management This understanding of the role of reflection in chronic condition management can then be used as a platform to improve the mobile interventions in future implementations. These findings are arrived at by conducting an initial investigation into the usage of existing health monitoring devices and an evaluation of these devices is detailed. The results of this early work suggests there exists a gap between real practice and the role that mobile technologies can play in assisting with the process. A deeper understanding of the management practices of people with diabetes is then achieved through a set of interviews with individuals with diabetes. The findings then define a model of chronic disease management, named the ‘Diabetes Management Cycle.’ Following the definition of the cycle, a mobile application was implemented and deployed during a four week evaluation with individuals with type 1 diabetes. This system was designed to support existing management practices and implemented simple methods of information capture. A second application was then developed to enable increased monitoring and subsequent re­ flection amongst individuals with cardiovascular conditions. The application was deployed in a six week in-situ evaluation and it was discovered a personalised ‘tagging’ mechanism allowed for the discovery of patterns affecting health. Based on the findings of the studies, the Thesis concludes by presenting definitions of readyto-hand in the shortand long-term contexts of mobile health management. These ready-to-hand guidelines provide a platform for future research projects to build upon.

1 citations

Dissertation
04 Apr 2012

Cites background from "Designing ubiquitous computing for ..."

  • ...Diabetics who used Mamykina’s systems where more reflective about their condition, which led to improved self-understanding and a greater sense of personal control over health outcomes [62,63,64]....

    [...]

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TL;DR: This work has shown that legitimate peripheral participation in communities of practice is not confined to midwives, tailors, quartermasters, butchers, non-drinking alcoholics and the like.
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"Designing ubiquitous computing for ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...I was specifically interested in harnessing the potential of Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and peer-based networks in enabling such articulation without the extensive involvement of experts....

    [...]

  • ...Just as Schon argued that professional problem solving does not rely on application of formal rules, Lave and Wenger argue that acquisition of these skills is different in nature from formal schooling....

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  • ...I draw my inspiration in these questions from the studies of Lave and Wenger (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and their notion of Communities of Practice and Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP)....

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TL;DR: This work focuses on Ethnomethodology, which investigates the role of sex status in the lives of the Intersexed Person and some of the rules of Correct Decisions that Jurors Respect.
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"Designing ubiquitous computing for ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Probes In the past three decades, the focus on augmenting working environments led to the emergence of research methodologies inspired by ethnography and anthropology, such as ethnomethodology (Garfinkel, 1967)....

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  • ...Harold Garfinkel (1967) viewed reflection and rationalization of past actions and choices as bases of stable social structures and accountability of human action....

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TL;DR: In this article, the importance of critical thinking and the vital role education should play in the development of the critical thinking skills of children has been highlighted, and an appreciation of this correlation and a recognition of its value in educational practice can promote individual happiness and reduce social waste.
Abstract: John Dewey, one of America's greatest popular philosophers and educators, emphasises the importance of critical thinking and the vital role education should play. In this progressive work, written more than 80 years ago, Dewey, recognising that we are born with the ability to think, argues that the educator's fundamental role is to train us to think well. At a time when America is lamenting the lack of solid training in the sciences at the elementary and secondary levels, Dewey's enthusiastic correlation between the scientific mind and the natural attitude of childhood marked by curiosity, imagination, and the love of experimental inquiry offers a refreshing and optimistic perspective. He demonstrates how an appreciation of this correlation and a recognition of its value in educational practice can promote individual happiness and reduce social waste.

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"Designing ubiquitous computing for ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...” (Dewey, 1933) Dewey defines the following phases of reflective thinking: 1....

    [...]

  • ...(Dewey, 1933) In this definition, as in many others following this tradition, the emphasis is on the mode of thinking, rather than its object....

    [...]

  • ...” (Dewey, 1933) In regards to education and learning, Dewey contrasts learning through reflection and discovery with the traditional education of his time, which, arguably, remains a predominant model of education to this day....

    [...]

  • ...” (Dewey, 1933) Another important aspect of reflective thinking that I return to later in this document is its reliance on observations or facts, in other words data....

    [...]

  • ...intervention these same conditions could take extended periods of time to develop naturally, sometimes exceeding human lifetime (Dewey, 1933)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Reports of affective experience obtained using SAM are compared to the Semantic Differential scale devised by Mehrabian and Russell (An approach to environmental psychology, 1974), which requires 18 different ratings.

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Lucy Suchman1
TL;DR: This paper presents a meta-modelling architecture for human-machine communication that automates the very labor-intensive and therefore time-heavy and therefore expensive and expensive process of designing and implementing communication systems.
Abstract: Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Interactive artefacts 3. Plans 4. Situated actions 5. Communicative resources 6. Case and methods 7. Human-machine communication 8. Conclusion References Indices.

5,784 citations


"Designing ubiquitous computing for ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...The concept of calm computing that enriches individuals’ environment with cues on different levels of intrusiveness that affect and guide individuals’ choices, sometimes without individual’s conscious awareness, is most consistent with “situated action” (Suchman, 1987)....

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