User centred design and validation during the development of domestic brain computer interface applications for people with acquired brain injury and therapists: a multi-stakeholder approach

PurposeThis paper will outline the application of user centred design within a research project to support the design, development and evaluation of a brain computer interface with associated home based services and remote therapy station for people with acquired brain injury.Design/methodology/approachA multi- stakeholder user centred design approach was adopted to include people living with acquired brain injury, their caregivers, and therapists providing rehabilitation. A three-phased iterative approach was implemented: Phase one was to gather user requirements, phase two an iterative design phase with end user groups and therapists and finally the verification and implementation phase. The final phase had two strands of a home-based brain computer interface evaluation with target end users and their caregivers, alongside this, therapists evaluated the final therapist station that supports the use of the brain computer interface at home. Ethical governance, in line with Ulster University, was awarded.FindingsUser centred design enabled the co-creation and validation of a home-based brain computer interface system for social inclusion and rehabilitation.Originality/valueThis was the first brain computer interface project to adopt user centred design to design and validation a novel home-based brain computer interface system and migrate this from the lab to home. It highlights the importance of user centred design to bridge the gap between the technical developers and those whom the technology is aimed at. This complex design process is essential to increase usability and reduce device abandonment.