Projects like Guardian always include a long period of iterative evaluations and rectifications to end up in a qualitative designed product that meets end users’ needs. Nevertheless, the current situation we are experiencing all around the world has raised hurdles to the Guardian’s testing implementation.
Evaluating with a high-risk population
Indeed, since the targeted audience is mostly identified as a high-risk population: seniors and their informal carers being both predominantly old; and the formal carers being continuously confronted with risks of contamination due to their profession; it was ethically difficult to count on their participation. Whether it be in laboratory or at home, evaluations underpin meetings lasting more than an hour, which could have endangered them.
To remain ethical we had to redefine the whole set of evaluations and postpone them at a more opportune time: when end-users will be vaccinated and no longer (or less) exposed to life-threatening contaminations. The different partners of the project (CCare, Vilans, ZNWV, INRCA, HUG) have then joined their forces to set up test evaluations: 1. limiting the risks of altering health 2. based on principles of responsible innovation 3. pleasant to pass and not energy-consuming.