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The
HAAT model (Cook and Hussey, 2002) was developed to analyze
the complexities of someone (a person with
a disability) doing
something
(an activity) somewhere (within
a context), especially when the
use of assistive technology is part of that context. It is based
on the
human performance model (Bailey, 1989) which is often used by human
factors engineers and psychologists in the design and application
of technology.
The
three components of the HAAT model are:
Human
Activity
Assistive
Technology
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When a person
with a disability is faced with an activity in a given context,
he may require assistive technology to facilitate
his
performance. In the HAAT model, one starts with the activity in order to
begin to determine what assistive technology system might be
needed.
Successful
completion of the activity is always accomplished by finishing
a set of specific tasks in a given context.
It is the combination
of activity and context that determines the human skills that
will be required to attain the goal of completing the activity.
Each of the
components plays a unique role in the overall system. In
addition,
each of these three components can be broken down into the
factors influencing it.
Activity -
The activity defines the overall goal of the use of assistive
technology.
The activity is a process
of doing specific
tasks and
it represents the functional outcome of human performance.
In order to
understand the HAAT model it helps to consider an example.
Shelly,
a junior in high school needs to complete written assignments
in order get credit for her classes. Shelly has a traumatic
brain injury from a car accident last year. It has left
her with short-term
memory
loss and fine motor challenges that make it difficult for
her to
write legibly. In Shelly’s case, the HAAT “activity” is
writing.
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