Designing for Inaccessible Emergency Medical Service Contexts: Development and Evaluation of the Contextual Secondary Video Toolkit

Title of the Paper

Designing for Inaccessible Emergency Medical Service Contexts: Development and Evaluation of the Contextual Secondary Video Toolkit

Paper Information

• Research Domain: Application of design methods and techniques in inaccessible emergency medical service (EMS) contexts
• Keywords: Participatory design, design methods, secondary video, head-mounted display, augmented reality, emergency medical services

Research Background and Issues

• Existing Problems or Challenges:

  • Emergency medical service (EMS) work environments are complex and hazardous, making it difficult for researchers to access these contexts directly.
  • EMS design processes often lack sufficient participation from staff.
  • Collecting work data during emergency tasks is constrained by factors such as patient privacy and the unpredictability of events.
  • Existing design methods, such as future workshops and contextual inquiries, struggle to adapt to the unique constraints of EMS design.

• Research Importance:

  • EMS work involves rapidly changing environments, equipment limitations, and complex decision-making processes, where design solutions can significantly improve staff efficiency and patient care outcomes.
  • Incorporating user participation in the design process helps ensure that technology aligns with real-world needs and minimizes negative impacts.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • The authors respond to Pilemalm's call for participatory design methods in the EMS domain, aiming to create a new approach to mitigate the limitations of traditional design processes.
  • Related studies show that video analysis (e.g., video-cued recall) is highly effective for analyzing complex decision-making processes, though its application in design technology remains rare.

Solution

• Proposed Method:

  • Develop the "Contextual Secondary Video Toolkit (CSVT)," integrating existing video-cued recall methods with exploratory design cards.
  • Utilize secondary videos (i.e., video clips sourced from social platforms or media) and design cards to help EMS staff identify challenges, generate technical solutions, and achieve genuine participation within their work environment.

• Innovative Features:

  • Introduce secondary video materials as the foundation for the design process, enabling research without direct access to EMS environments.
  • Design cards structurally present technological features (e.g., augmented reality functionalities), reducing the difficulty for participants to familiarize themselves with new technologies.
  • Combine analysis and generation processes to effectively link users' work experiences with the development of technical solutions.

• Implementation Steps:

  • Design two types of cards: scenario cards (representing phases of EMS video clips) and feature cards (describing applications of augmented reality functionalities).
  • Play edited video clips during workshops and guide participants to analyze cases, share experiences, and brainstorm design ideas using the cards.
  • Conduct two workshop structures (extended and simplified versions) to emphasize scenario analysis and design generation, respectively.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Results:

  • Identified 17 potential applications of augmented reality technology in EMS scenarios, such as medication dosage display, real-time patient vital sign monitoring, and video-based task recording.
  • Workshop structures successfully inspired participants to adopt these technologies to improve work practices and generate scenario-specific design solutions.

• Advantages Over Existing Solutions:

  • Enriched the design process by integrating analysis and generation, enabling EMS staff to directly discuss and evaluate the applicability of technology in their work contexts.
  • Secondary videos served as "design provocations," stimulating open and in-depth discussions while reducing barriers for participants unfamiliar with design technologies.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • When using scenario videos, participants were able to reflect on their work practices and propose creative technical solutions.
  • Accelerated the technology design phase, particularly in time-constrained or resource-limited EMS environments.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations:
    • Workshops primarily targeted specific participant groups (e.g., medical personnel on rescue helicopters) and lacked repeated feedback from multiple participations.
    • Using secondary videos may introduce risks of event simplification or bias.
  • Future Directions:
    • Apply CSVT to other domains to explore its potential as a general design method.
    • Improve workshop structures to achieve continuous, authentic participation while accommodating the busy schedules of EMS personnel.

Conclusion

The authors demonstrated the value of CSVT in designing technology for highly constrained contexts and highlighted the potential of secondary videos. Future research could broaden the application of this method to address user participation challenges in other domains, fostering collaborative design practices between technology and domain experts.