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described upon very simple traits related to looks
such as hair colour or hair style.
The WoZ method was appropriate to use for the
purpose of gather dialogue. Besides providing
material for the database, this study also showed the
need among the patients for being able to ask
questions anonymously. Despite the ethical
considerations that made us reveal to the patients
that there was a human on the other side, the study
worked well and the patients forgot that they did not
interact with a system or, at least, did not bother by
this fact. However, when using this method for
developing systems for treatments, it is important to
be aware of that patients can reveal issues that could
be a hazard to the patient’s health if they are kept
anonymous.
6.3 Concluding Remarks
It is important to state that the aim with this work
only was to develop a prototype and to investigate
different methods for user involvement. The
knowledge gathered during this work was intended
to serve as a starting point for the next phase of
developing a system for patients with eating
disorders.
One of the most important results regarding
design of environments like this was the patients’
opinion about the 3D-design/interface. The patients
pointed out the importance of colours and homelike
environments since several of them had spent time at
hospitals against their own will. Further, the studies
showed that it is important that when using an
artificial character to answer questions as a
complement to the treatment for this group of
patients the character has to have an appearance and
an age that conveys trust but also that it is young and
modern enough to be someone that the patients feel
that they would like to talk to. Finally, the patients’
enthusiasm for the Cultural Probes study supports
the idea of using the design process as a direct
means to an end. In this case, using the design
process as a part of the treatment, an interesting
aspect well worth investigating further.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank AB Mando and their
staff. The work is based on their method for treating
eating diseases, and all the work has been conducted
at the clinic in cooperation with their staff. We will
also thank all the patients at the clinic that have
participated in the studies. The funding for this
project was given by VINNOVA (Swedish
Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems),
along with AB Mando and SICS.
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