Applying Ability-Based Design Principles to Adaptive Outdoor Activities

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Effective design is essential to creating adaptive outdoor activities. Ability-Based Design (ABD) is an approach to accessible design in the HCI literature that we found to be most appealing for this endeavour. ABD focuses on making systems adaptable to users’ needs and abilities rather than making the user con-form to system requirements. We explore the principles of ABD in the context of two adaptive outdoor experiences: Tetra-Ski and Tetra-Sail. We found that while the general approach of ABD is useful in this context, some of the basic tenants of ABD can be confounded by: (1) activity risk, (2) dynamic sport environments, and (3) the role of psychological flow during the activity. To accommodate these restrictions on ABD principles and provide a usable experience we developedShared-Control as a collaborative approach to implementation. This paper explores using Shared-Control and ABD principles in the context of these two adaptive recreation systems for individuals with acquired tetraplegia. This perspective reveals tensions between ABD guidelines and designing for adaptive outdoor activities. We reflect on these tensions, potential additions to ABD, and our own usage of Shared-Control as a mechanism for adhering to ABD principles in this context.