title: Crucial design issues for special access technology; a Delphi study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and demonstrate a method to involve professional users of assistive technology (AT) in the development process of customisable products. Employing the ideas of user participation and mass customisation, this research addresses the need for reduced product costs and optimised product flexibility.
  
  
  METHODS
  An adaptable six-question Delphi study was developed to establish consensus among AT professionals on design issues relating to a specified AT domain requiring innovation. The study is demonstrated for the special access technology (SAT) domain. A modified morphological matrix structures the application of the study results to the product design process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen professionals from the Republic of Ireland and the UK participated. Consensus was reached on prevalent parts of SAT that malfunction, primary reasons for SAT malfunction, characteristics of clients associated with SAT selection, client needs regarding SAT use and training, desirable traits of SAT and clinicians' frustrations with SAT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study revealed a range of problems related to SAT, highlighting the complexities of successful SAT adoption. The questions led to differentiated insights and enabled design solution conceptualisation from various perspectives. The approach was found to help facilitate efficient generation and application of professional users' knowledge during the design process of customisable AT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology , Dublin , Ireland .
authors.forename: Pearl
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ekins
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Timmins
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Timmins
authors.forename: Siobhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coyle
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D032921:Consensus; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D012107:Research Design; D012656:Self-Help Devices