Design research methods to understand user needs for an etextile knee sleeve

Knee replacement surgery is dramatically increasing in the United States for people over the age of 45 and rehabilitation after surgery is a necessary step for the success of the replacement. Rehabilitation requires regular access to a wide variety of resources and personnel. Currently, there are no self-care tools to enable tracking a patient's rehabilitative progress at home. As such, there is an opportunity to design and develop sensing technology tools to help alleviate the healthcare system and empower people in the knee rehabilitation process. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design process for a wearable, home rehabilitation device for knee replacement: an eTextile Knee Sleeve. More specifically, it describes the design research methods undertaken to understand user needs, including expert interviews, rehabilitation observation, and a participatory design workshop, to leverage advancements in technology and the field of eTextiles.