Usability issues concerning the cyberlink mental interface and persons with a disability

A mental interface device called the "Cyberlink" was tested with a group of persons with traumatic brain injury or cerebral palsy. All were able to play games but only some were able to perform rudimentary communication. The persons with cerebral palsy who also had a high level of spasticity experienced difficulty operating the Cyberlink because the headband containing the electrodes was often loosened or fell off during episodes of involuntary movements. Staff and parents were reluctant to leave such persons unsupervised with the device because such users would experience frustration if the headband became unsecured and they were unable to operate the device. A study was conducted to investigate some available methods to secure the headband and thus improve the ability of disabled persons to independently perform recreational and communicative tasks. Another Cyberlink usability issue was also examined. The institutional staff and parents reported that the configuration of settings of the Cyberlink were difficult to optimize. The parents and staff said further that settings often became invalid during the session as a person's physiological signals changed. The purpose of the paper is to report some of the shortcomings of the Cyberlink and postulate solutions that may be implemented and thus increase the usability for some disabled persons.