Stefania Sansoni | University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Stefania Sansoni

The aim of the study presented is to provide an overview of the current understanding and approac... more The aim of the study presented is to provide an overview of the current understanding and approach of graphic designers towards environmental sustainability. Within this study, we include a survey exploring the awareness among graphic design students and staff of this topic and discuss integrating sustainability within current professional practice. The topic of 'greenwashing' is also reviewed and discussed. Advertising invests heavily in profiling their target market to understand their culture, values, motivations, and language. They use this knowledge to predict purchasing decision-making and behaviours, but little or no consideration appears to be given to the environmental impact of their products. The outcomes of this study will be incorporated into teaching resources that will be made freely available to students, other educators and practising graphic designers.

Proceedings of the Design Society

This paper explores the value of the visual features of assistive products for a positive psychol... more This paper explores the value of the visual features of assistive products for a positive psychological impact on users. The research focuses on upper limb prosthetic devices and their aesthetic impact on the user. Within the presented study, these products are identified not only as assistive products but also as fashion accessories. A case study is presented that applies an understanding of human behaviour, motivation, and perception of semantic cues within the cultural context of a given society to deliver a more socially acceptable child's upper limb prosthetic.

Aesthetics of prosthesis design is a field of research investigating the visual aspect of the dev... more Aesthetics of prosthesis design is a field of research investigating the visual aspect of the devices as a factor connected to the emotional impact in prosthetic users. In this chapter we present a revised concept of perception and use of prosthetic devices by offering a view of 'creative product' rather than 'medical device' only. Robotic-looking devices are proposed as a way of promoting a new and fresh perception of amputation and prosthetics, where 'traditional' uncovered or realistic devices are claimed not to respond with efficacy to the aesthetic requirements of a creative product. We aim to promote a vision for a change in the understanding of amputation-and disability in general-by transforming the concept of Disability to Super-ability, and to propose the use of attractive-looking prosthetic forms for promoting this process.

This paper analyses the model of prosthetic design in the context of the public prosthetic centre... more This paper analyses the model of prosthetic design in the context of the public prosthetic centres in the UK, and proposes a new system of design including the role of the visual prosthetic designer. The visual aspect of prosthesis can favour a positive body image in the users; however they are often not advised or provided with models responding to their needs. We claim that the visual designer would improve the process for the appearance of the prosthesis, provide the amputees with visual solutions and support the prosthetists in the design process. The aim of this research is to highlight that more attention is needed for the visual needs of prosthetic users and that a change is needed in the current design approach of public prosthetic centres.

Aesthetics of prosthetic devices is an emerging academic field, concerned with the visual attract... more Aesthetics of prosthetic devices is an emerging academic field, concerned with the visual attraction of a particularly intimate category of medical device. Our belief is that prosthetic users can gain psychological well-being when wearing prostheses perceived as aesthetically pleasing. This research focusses on exploring the concept of “concinnity” for below-knee prostheses, and develops current aesthetic theory in this area by considering elements and principles of visual design. The applicability of these to practice has been illustrated through two case studies of conceptual designs.

The needs of below-knee amputees, in terms of the aesthetics of the prostheses, receive little or... more The needs of below-knee amputees, in terms of the aesthetics of the prostheses, receive little or no attention. Failure to address this issue could create dissatisfaction with the body image of amputees. This paper seeks to explore different aspects of the psychological issues and well-being of users by focusing on the hypothesis that the level of realism in prostheses is linked to multiple factors, i.e. the time occurred since amputation and acceptance of limb loss. Specifically, we highlight the positive role of using artificial-looking devices for promoting the self-confidence of wearers during the second phase post-amputation, and the use of cosmetic devices in the first phase. The data derives from a closed ended questionnaire, email exchanges with users and an in-depth literature review. The paper constitutes a contribution to research on the "aesthetics of prosthetic devices" by taking into account the dynamics behind the psychological distress and well-being of prosthetic users.

International Journal of Design

The aesthetics of prosthetic design is a field of study which until now has been subject to littl... more The aesthetics of prosthetic design is a field of study which until now has been subject to little investigation, and no research has been attempted before into the relationship of aesthetic attraction to devices and their human-likeness. The main aim of this paper is to explore this issue, testing the existence of a relationship between the Uncanny Valley (UV) (Mori, 1970) and prosthetic devices. The secondary aim is to explore whether or not attraction is related to the personal characteristics of the participants. We employed a cross-sectional questionnaire and involved 114 participants. The results did not demonstrate the existence of the UV for prostheses, as a high level of attraction to realistic devices was recorded; instead the data resulted in an "N-shaped" graph, showing only a small dip in attraction in relation to prostheses with human shape but with clear artificial patterns. Visual attraction to non-human-like devices was found, and the discriminating factors included gender and to a lesser extent nationality and the presence of amputation. This paper aims to set the basis for future investigations around the belief that prosthetic designs endorsing certain characteristics may be more suitable for some categories of prosthetic users in order to potentially achieve a greater satisfaction with their prostheses.

Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, 2016

This paper proposes a new User-Centred data-collection methodology based on the Repertory Grid Te... more This paper proposes a new User-Centred data-collection methodology based on the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) for the aesthetic design of below-knee prostheses. The innovation of this methodology is to propose a measurable approach guiding the designer to detect latent emotional needs of interviewed prosthetic users to be translated into measurable aesthetic issues to reproduce in their customized devices. This work is situated within the Kansei Engineering framework and is part of a more comprehensive study for the revision of aesthetic prosthetic design. The data of this paper are based on face to face interviews and the results were translated into a set of design principles and elements classifying the statements of the users. This methodology aims to stand as an initiative for a new design system for the improvement of the emotional User Experience of prosthetic usersand to consequently provide products to be positively accepted by the users for the improvement of their body image.

The aesthetics of prosthetic design is a field of study which until now has been subject to littl... more The aesthetics of prosthetic design is a field of study which until now has been subject to little investigation, and no research has been attempted before into the relationship of aesthetic attraction to devices and their human-likeness. The main aim of this paper is to explore this issue, testing the existence of a relationship between the Uncanny Valley (UV) (Mori, 1970) and prosthetic devices. The secondary aim is to explore whether or not attraction is related to the personal characteristics of the participants. We employed a cross-sectional questionnaire and involved 114 participants. The results did not demonstrate the existence of the UV for prostheses, as a high level of attraction to realistic devices was recorded; instead the data resulted in an “N-shaped” graph, showing only a small dip in attraction in
relation to prostheses with human shape but with clear artificial patterns. Visual attraction to non-human-like devices was found, and the discriminating factors included gender and to a lesser extent nationality and the presence of amputation. This paper aims to set the basis for future investigations around the belief that prosthetic designs endorsing certain characteristics may be more suitable for some categories of prosthetic users in order to potentially achieve a greater satisfaction with their prostheses.

The needs of below-knee amputees, in terms of the aesthetics of their prostheses, receive little ... more The needs of below-knee amputees, in terms of the aesthetics of their prostheses, receive little
or no attention. Failure to address this issue could create dissatisfaction with the body image of
amputees. This paper seeks to explore different aspects of the psychological issues and wellbeing
of users by focusing on the hypothesis that the level of realism in prostheses is linked to
multiple factors, i.e. the time elapsed since amputation and acceptance of limb loss. Specifically,
we highlight the positive role of using artificial-looking devices for promoting the self-confidence
of wearers during the second phase post-amputation, and the use of cosmetic devices
in the first phase. The data derives from a closed ended questionnaire, email exchanges with
users and an in-depth literature review. The paper constitutes a contribution to research on the
“aesthetics of prosthetic devices” by taking into account the dynamics behind the psychological
distress and well-being of prosthetic users.

Proceedings of the Design Society

International Journal of Design

Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, 2016

The aesthetics of prosthetic design is a field of study which until now has been subject to littl... more The aesthetics of prosthetic design is a field of study which until now has been subject to little investigation, and no research has been attempted before into the relationship of aesthetic attraction to devices and their human-likeness. The main aim of this paper is to explore this issue, testing the existence of a relationship between the Uncanny Valley (UV) (Mori, 1970) and prosthetic devices. The secondary aim is to explore whether or not attraction is related to the personal characteristics of the participants. We employed a cross-sectional questionnaire and involved 114 participants. The results did not demonstrate the existence of the UV for prostheses, as a high level of attraction to realistic devices was recorded; instead the data resulted in an “N-shaped” graph, showing only a small dip in attraction in
relation to prostheses with human shape but with clear artificial patterns. Visual attraction to non-human-like devices was found, and the discriminating factors included gender and to a lesser extent nationality and the presence of amputation. This paper aims to set the basis for future investigations around the belief that prosthetic designs endorsing certain characteristics may be more suitable for some categories of prosthetic users in order to potentially achieve a greater satisfaction with their prostheses.