Human-Centered Design of In-Home Mobility Monitoring

Academic Mentor | Yiwen Dong
Community Partner | Beckwith Residential Support Services

Project Description
Many individuals with mobility disabilities rely on caregivers and residential support staff to navigate daily activities, yet existing technologies for monitoring mobility and activity are often intrusive, difficult to use, or poorly aligned with users’ lived experiences. Camera-based systems and wearable devices, in particular, can raise concerns about privacy, comfort, and autonomy, limiting their usefulness in residential environments.

This project focuses on the human-centered design of an in-home mobility and activity tracking system that promotes independence, dignity, and effective support for people with mobility disabilities. The technical foundation of the project is an existing floor vibration sensing technology that detects footstep-induced vibrations to infer mobility patterns and activity levels without the use of cameras or wearable devices.

Building on this technology, the project asks: How can in-home sensing systems be designed and presented in ways that are accessible, respectful, and genuinely useful to both residents and the care staff who support them? The work will center on two key design challenges. First, the project will explore the design of a physical sensor enclosure, focusing on accessibility, placement, durability, and seamless integration into residential spaces. Second, the project will co-design user interfaces that present mobility and activity information in meaningful and appropriate ways for different users, including residents, certified nursing assistants, and personal assistants.

The primary community partner and user group will be young adults who use wheelchairs and live on campus, with a focus on the Beckwith residential community at the University of Illinois. Using participatory and human-centered design methods, the project will involve interviews, co-design workshops, and rapid prototyping. The goal is to support personal autonomy for residents while also helping residential facilities better understand support needs and coordinate care in ways that respect privacy and lived experience.

Role of the Community-Academic Scholar:
The Community-Academic Scholar will be involved in multiple stages of this community-engaged design and research project, with an emphasis on human-centered design, accessibility, and applied engineering practice. Early in the project, the scholar will participate in needs assessment activities, including background research on assistive technologies, accessible design principles, and privacy-respecting sensing systems.

The scholar will have direct and regular interaction with community members, including wheelchair users living in the Beckwith community and residential support staff. These interactions will take place through scheduled interviews, co-design sessions, and feedback workshops, typically occurring on a biweekly basis during the summer program.

Key responsibilities will include assisting with the design and prototyping of the physical sensor enclosure, creating sketches and low- to mid-fidelity prototypes, and supporting the development of user interface concepts that communicate mobility and activity information clearly and respectfully. The scholar will also help document community feedback, assist with usability testing, and synthesize findings for both academic and community audiences.
Through this role, the scholar will gain hands-on experience in community-engaged research, inclusive and participatory design, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The position emphasizes learning through direct engagement with stakeholders while contributing meaningfully to a project that advances accessibility, disability inclusion, and health equity.