Anita Cremers

Research area

The research group Co-design employs two lectors: Remko van der Lugt (systemic design) and Anita Cremers (inclusive design). The two lectors cooperate on answering the central research question "How can designers and professionals use their design ability in co-design processes for complex social issues?" Inclusive design is about inclusive participation in the co-design process (including people who usually have a less powerful voice than others) as well as about the design choices that allow the solution to be used by a diversity of relevant actors. For the latter, the use of new technological possibilities, for example for far-reaching personalization or alternative modalities of interaction can offer opportunities that have so far been underused. We work on developing tools, methods, guidelines and rich case descriptions, to support designers and other professionals in developing their capacity for designing inclusively. Also we develop guidelines and design patterns for new interaction technologies, such as conversational interfaces, to broaden possibilities of interaction, beyond the well-established graphical user interface. This involves close cooperation with artificial intelligence experts. In particular TNO’s Human Interaction Team (research group Perceptual & Cognitive Systems) takes advantage of this knowledge. Application areas encompass in particular DSS, HL and ICT.

Recent results

A number of projects was carried out in which technological solutions, design guidelines and methods to involve specific target groups in the design process of technology were developed, for example for low literate people (Cremers et al., 2017), mild intellectually disabled or autistic people (www.powertoolkit.nl) and hospital nurses (https://husite.nl/count/). As a member of the Dutch national lectors platform ‘Self-management’ a contribution was made to a vision on self-management which is presented in an animated movie. A knowledge program ‘Diversity in interaction’ was started (together with the research group ‘Multilingualism and education’), in which the use of technology for inclusive and diverse education is being investigated. A relatively new technology suitable for inclusive interaction is the conversational interface. The Conversational Interface Coalition was founded around this subject together with the 'Meaningful Digital Innovation' research group and public and private partners, and several meetings were organized concerning this topic.

PhD supervision

• Co-promotor: Dylan G.M. Schouten (2020). A virtual coach for low-literates to practice societal participation. Delft University of Technology.

Top publications

• A.H.M. Cremers, M. Welbie, K. Kranenborg & H. Wittink, “Deriving guidelines for designing interactive questionnaires for lowliterate persons: development of a health assessment questionnaire”, Universal Access in the Information Society, 16, 161-172, 2017.
• D.G.M. Schouten, N.J.J.M. Smets, M. Driessen, K. Fuhri, M.A. Neerincx, A.H.M. Cremers, “Requirements for a virtual environment to support the social participation education of low-literates”, Universal Access in the Information Society, 16, 681–698, 2017.
• F. Verhoeven, A. Cremers, M. Schoone & J. van Dijk, “Mobiles for mobility: Participatory design of a ‘Happy walker’ that stimulates mobility among older people”, Gerontechnology 15, 32-44, 2016.