The PISHI Concept: A Technique for Increasing Inclusion in the Design of Open-Source Assistive Technologies

This thesis addresses how to make Open-Source (OS) Assistive Technology (AT) more inclusive. The thesis employs a Research Through Design (RtD) methodology on a particular case study: the Switch Activated Writing System (SAWS) that is in transition to an Open-Source project (OSSAWS). Analysis of the literature reveals the potential to leverage persona representations into OS AT. This thesis includes three RtD iterations which focus on successive modifications of persona representations and markdown templating, converging on a final design concept called Persona Inclusion for open Source assistive tecHnology Innovation (PISHI). The PISHI concept centers on the representation of family-level dynamics, crucial in the AT domain and design innovation. The thesis develops persona representations for the users of OSSAWS following the PISHI Concept. This thesis presents a rationale for the generalizability of the PISHI concept, which will provide a crucial means for increasing inclusion in Open-Source (OS) Assistive Technology (AT).