The ‘Hands on the Glass’ workshop lasted approximately 2
and a half hours. All 5 of the participants with PD who
took part owned mobile phones and used the internet at
home, with 3 using specific applications to manage their
condition. One participant owned and used a Wii. The
workshop began with open discussion about how
participants used technology to support daily routines,
social activities, and manage their PD. This revealed how
many of the participants felt privileged by being able to
leave their home and be independent. It was also clear that,
while all the participants used mobile phones, they became
deeply frustrated by an inability to manipulate them due to
hand tremors. Following this discussion, a promotional
video of Glass was played, highlighting the video calling,
photo sharing, social media, street directions, and
information searching features of the device. Following
this a researcher gave a demonstration of Glass. Each
participant was then given the opportunity to wear and use
Glass for a short period of time. Group discussions were
facilitated throughout, with the purpose of gathering views
on what Glass could do ‘out of the box’ and encouraging
participants to express ideas of alternative uses for the
device. The thematic analysis of the workshop revealed 4
themes, discussed in the following.