Older Person With Parkinson'S Disease And Aspects Of Usability In The Interaction With Clothing Fasteners

Abstract

There has been an increasing number of human aging studies evaluating chronic degenerative diseases and how they interfere with the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a condition whose symptoms may deteriorate the quality of ADL performance, especially in terms of impaired coordinated hand movements. Regarding aspects of usability in the interaction with products, specifically clothing items, scholarly research has not yet delved into the possible relationships between variables involved in this process. The variables include characteristics of strength manipulation and performance associated with perceived effort and discomfort while dressing-undressing, and whether such variables are associated with gender and health status of older people. Different interface designs are known to possibly have a negative influence on the action of opening and closing clothing fasteners, limiting the autonomy to perform a basic ADL independently. Thus, the study primarily aimed to understand aspects of the management of clothing fasteners as well as the influence of motor and functional impairment based on simulation activities, which may clarify features of the user-activity-product relationship. An experimental method of descriptive, exploratory, quantitative, and laboratory nature was used to assess activities with buttons and zippers. The study included 40 participants and results showed that strength variables had no influence on the performance of manipulating clothing fasteners and that PD leads to poor performance in the coordinated activity, compromising its conclusion. Furthermore, poor performance in manipulating clothing fasteners and fastener design were found to negatively influence the ability to open and close detachable buttons and zippers. These results emphasize the need of raising awareness of clothing companies to the importance of developing products that can promote user independence and satisfaction, contributing thus to an improved user-activity-product interaction.

Keywords

• ergonomics
• aged
• parkinson disease
• activities of daily living
• clothing