DIY Assistive Technology for Others: Considering Social Impacts and Opportunities to Leverage HCI Techniques

Abstract

One way to help address larger scale social and environmental challenges is to help individuals consider the social impacts of making alongside the technological aspects. We investigate the experiences of volunteers who 3D print prosthetic devices for children, focusing specifically on the way they discuss their relationship with the device recipients. We show that while the volunteers understand the social aspect of the experience, their focus is on the functionality. We suggest some techniques, methods, and principles from HCI that can enrich the experience for the volunteers and recipients by broadening the focus to include consideration of the complexities of the human and social experience.