Designing an assistive wearable that supports deafblind cat owners

Sammanfattning: Cats are ideal non-human companions for deafblind people who spend a lot of their time at home and quite often face problems like social isolation and loneliness. Even with no sight and hearing, deafblind people are able to enjoy the companionship and the haptic experiences of interacting with a cat just as feeling and stroking its soft fur, feeling the warmth of the cat and feeling its calm breathing. However, deafblind cat owners are facing various difficulties when caring for a cat. The- refore, the aim of this thesis project was to develop a concept for an interactive assistive device, that extends a deafblind cat owner’s awareness regarding the activities and needs of his/her cat. This supports cat owners in taking better care of their cat, helps to avoid potential risks of harming the cat and generally enables cat owners to perceive the presence of their cat and therefore creates a better relation, fosters the feeling of companionship and makes them feel less lonesome. In order to reach this aim, a user centered design process was followed which resulted in a final concept and prototype of an interactive wearable with a multi-modal tactile interface.