User involvement in the development of new technology

This is an exciting project on user participation for people with combined visual and hearing impairments in the development of new technology. The project started in 2023 and will end in autumn 2025.

Project staff

Everyone in the project is a project employee and represents a new way of working together. The project team consists of Emilio Jensen Granados, Marie Dyrkorn Egge, Erik Nilsen, Fereshteh Halimi, Bedir Yiyit and Kari Jokstad.

The project group also includes Professor Hilde Thygesen from University of South East Norway as an accompanying researcher.

The picture shows the project's accompanying researcher, Professor Hilde Thygesen from University of South East Norwaywho sits with a microphone in front of him, diligently taking notes on paper.

Technology development in practice

The "SuperBrain" assistive technology, developed by the company 7Sense in Estonia have been tested in various activities with regard to orientation and mobility. The project group has provided feedback on improvement points. This is useful information that the company uses to improve and further develop the product. The developers have been with us at several of the project group meetings.

User involvement in all project phases

The project is carried out with user participation in all phases, also known as collaborative research. Joint competence development on research and project work has therefore been part of each session.

Furthermore, the project group has planned testing of the device and conducted data collection. In January 2025, the project completed the analysis of the data collected. 

New insights and knowledge are constantly being uncovered, both about collaboration between developers and users of assistive technology and about collaboration in a project team.

Project progress

In September 2024, Professor Hilde Thygesen travelled from University of South East Norway together with Research Manager Kari Jokstad from Eikholt to Tallinn to visit the developers in the company 7Sense. The aim of the trip was to gain insight into their experience of user involvement in the development of technology.

The following week, several of the project participants attended an international workshop in Boräs on user participation in the development of technology. Here, the project was also presented and new products under development were tested.

The project group held two meetings during the autumn of 2024. These meetings focused on analysing the data collected in the project and the content of a new group course in 2025.

What happens next?

In the spring of 2025, the project group is in the writing phase, and we look forward to sharing results and experiences from the project in the autumn of 2025. 

In parallel, we are planning the content of the group course that will be held at Eikholt in August. You can read more about it and apply here: User involvement in project work - Eikholt

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