“The possibility to link
theoretical academic
work with practical
product development
and the opportunity
to assist a growing
enterprise with
developing a better
product more in tune
with users’ needs.”
Dr Stephen Darling
ROLE
Senior Lecturer, Psychology
SPECIFIC PROJECT OR INITIATIVE
Understanding and Enhancing User Interaction with
the Storii Platform
Along with my colleague Dr Fiona Kelly, we worked
with the Storii team on their innovative, secure web
platform which is used for storing, accessing and using
media such as photos and videos by staff and families
of residents with dementia in care homes. Its goal is to
maintain social contact and improve quality of life.
We met with the company and offered to link our skills in psychology
and nursing to conduct research around the product to improve its
marketplace performance. On the one hand, we tried to adjust the
interface so that it might improve memory – which is often challenged
in individuals living in the care setting. On the other hand, we
evaluated issues around the usability and attractiveness of the interface
by speaking to potential users in the setting of a day centre.
Our findings were mixed – not really finding evidence that our
manipulation improved memory per se, but perhaps suggesting more
work may be useful. However, the usability studies showed clear leads,
issues and themes.