Papers by Karen Kim
Architectural Science Review, 2023
The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of interactive stairway designs by comparing t... more The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of interactive stairway designs by comparing the user's behaviour and the incidence of unsafe stair use on two interactive stairways with a stairway made of conventional material. The Stairway Observation Checklist (SOC) for recording observations of stair users was developed. Observations were conducted in two museum buildings with interactive stairways and in one university building with a conventional stairway. Cautionary behaviours and incidents on the interactive stairways and the conventional stairway were documented and compared. On the interactive stairways, more users glanced down at the treads; fewer users diverted their gaze away from the stairs; and handrail use was higher. Incident rates were similar across the stairways. The research suggests that interactivity increases the risk of stair use but also can promote increased attention to the stair climbing task. More specifically, interactive stairways encourage more cautious behaviours than conventional stairways.
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Safety Science, 2019
The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of a winding glass stairway by observing the b... more The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of a winding glass stairway by observing the behavior of stair users and to identify issues that should be studied in a laboratory setting. A checklist for coding stair use behaviors was developed. Video observations were conducted in a retail store with a glass stairway (GS) and a shopping mall with a conventional stairway (CS). Key behaviors related to safety (tread gaze, diverted gaze, handrail use) and stair incidents on the two stairways (GS and CS) were identified from the recordings and compared. On the glass stairway, more users glanced down at the treads (GS: 87% vs. CS: 59%); fewer users diverted their gaze away from the stairs (GS: 54% vs. CS: 67%); and handrail use was higher (GS: 32% vs. CS: 24%). Incident rates were much higher on the glass stairway (6.2%) compared to the conventional stairway (0.7%). Walking on winding treads made of glass may be more dangerous than walking on conventional materials due to reduced visibility of the tread edge or reduced friction between shoes and treads. Recent laboratory research suggests that stairway users may behave more cautiously using stairways with glass treads but the results from this study demonstrate that the benefit of increased caution can be negated in real world conditions.
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RESNA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 2015
There has been a paucity of published research on home modifications over the past decade. The cu... more There has been a paucity of published research on home modifications over the past decade. The current study reports the results of an online survey of 96 home modification practitioners, including therapists, architects, and contractors. The purpose was to assess the state of key service delivery elements, including: continuing education, advanced certifications, caseload, assessment tools, follow-up, and needed improvements. All three participant groups reflected a high prevalence of continuing education experiences in home modification. Many had acquired advanced certifications in home modifications, with the Certified Aging in Place Specialist being most frequently reported among these. Due to the multiplicity of funding options, there is often confusion about the services and interventions that will and will not be funded. Most practitioners do not use a standardized assessment tool, choosing instead to create their own. Practitioners in all three disciplines do not routinely collect follow-up data on the impact of their home modification services. As a field of practice, consensus standards of practice are needed. In addition, a concise outcomes measurement tool is needed to support regular capture of impact data.
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Studies in Health Technology and Informatics Series, 2016
This paper presents a design case of wayfinding design for a senior centre located in Amherst, Ne... more This paper presents a design case of wayfinding design for a senior centre located in Amherst, New York. The design case proposed a new signage system and colour coding scheme to enhance the wayfinding experience of seniors, visitors, and staff members at Amherst Senior Center.
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International Journal of Architectural Research (IJAR), 2016
This paper discusses an evaluation of stairway designs featured in Architectural Record, a leadin... more This paper discusses an evaluation of stairway designs featured in Architectural Record, a leading architectural professional journal, over a thirteen-year publication period (2000 to 2012). Images of stairways were classified as either hazard-free or hazard(s)-present using a hazard identification checklist, and the frequency of visible design hazards was tabulated. A total of 578 stairways were scanned in articles and advertisements, of which 78 (13.5%) were product advertisements. Sixty-one percent of the stairways had at least one visible design hazard including nearly half (47%) in product advertisements. The three most common hazards in stairways were inadequate handrails (161, 27.8%), excessive length of stairway flights (74, 12.8%), and low visual contrast on tread edges (73, 12.6%). The high prevalence of stairway design hazards in the professional literature indicates a need for improved professional education and media attention to safe stairway design.
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Assistive Technology Research Series, 2014
The social context for stairway design in multi-story buildings is changing. At one time, stairwa... more The social context for stairway design in multi-story buildings is changing. At one time, stairways were viewed primarily as a means of egress in an emergency, and elevators or escalators were the primary method of vertical circulation with the exception of monumental " feature " stairways. Today, the emphasis is changing to promote the use of stairways in buildings as opposed to use of elevators due to the health benefits of stair climbing. This is providing an opportunity for architects and building owners to experiment with innovative designs. One interesting innovation is the " interactive stairway. " Little is known about the impact of these interventions on the rate of stair accidents. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of interactive stairway designs by comparing the user's behavior and the incidence of unsafe stair use on two interactive stairways with a stairway made of conventional material. A checklist for recording observations of stair users was developed. Observations were conducted in two museum buildings with interactive stairways and in one university building with a conventional stairway. Safety-related behaviors and incidents on the interactive stairways (CM and SM) and the conventional stairway (SU) were documented and compared. On the interactive stairways, more stair users glanced down at the treads (CM: 90%, SM: 81% vs. SU: 53%); fewer stair users diverted their gaze away from the stairs (CM: 22%, SM: 32% vs. SU: 66%); and handrail use was higher (CM: 40%, SM: 33% vs. SU: 28%). Incident rates were similar across the stairways (CM: 2.2%, SM: 2.2%, SU: 2.6%). The research suggests that interactivity can improve stair safety if used appropriately.
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Conference Presentations by Karen Kim
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA, 2015
There has been a paucity of published research on home modifications over the past decade. The cu... more There has been a paucity of published research on home modifications over the past decade. The current study reports the results of an online survey of 96 home modification practitioners, including therapists, architects, and contractors. The purpose was to assess the state of key service delivery elements, including: continuing education, advanced certifications, caseload, assessment tools, follow-up, and needed improvements. All three participant groups reflected a high prevalence of continuing education experiences in home modification. Many had acquired advanced certifications in home modifications, with the Certified Aging in Place Specialist being most frequently reported among these. Due to the multiplicity of funding options, there is often confusion about the services and interventions that will and will not be funded. Most practitioners do not use a standardized assessment tool, choosing instead to create their own. Practitioners in all three disciplines do not routinely collect follow-up data on the impact of their home modification services. As a field of practice, consensus standards of practice are needed. In addition, a concise outcomes measurement tool is needed to support regular capture of impact data.
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EDRA's 46th annual international conference. Los Angeles, CA, 2015
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International Conference on Universal Design (UD2014), Lund, Sweden, 2014
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Watch Your Step 2014 National Fall Prevention Conference, Toronto, Canada, 2014
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Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD2013) Conference, Washington, D.C., 2013
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Thesis Chapters by Karen Kim
University at Buffalo, 2013
Safety is a top priority for building users and should be a primary goal for architects when desi... more Safety is a top priority for building users and should be a primary goal for architects when designing public buildings. Stairway falls continue to be one of the main causes of injuries in buildings, and while research has shown that these incidents are often related to the architectural design of stairways, stair safety remains difficult in practice. This is because knowledge of stairway design and the effectiveness of stair safety standards has been limited or within the profession of architecture. As a result, architects are experimenting with innovative designs that may increase the risk of tripping, slipping and falling on stairs. Steps to closing this knowledge gap and improving stair safety include assessments of design practices, identification of potential risks, and education on applying inclusive design thinking to stairways.
This thesis examined contemporary practices in stairway design and their effects on the behavior of stair users. A review of the professional literature identified innovative stairway design features related to stair safety. Two potentially hazardous features were identified for assessment in the real world: glass stair treads and interactive sound. Observations of stair use were collected at five different stairways in public buildings. The chosen design features were present in three of these stairways, and the other two stairways were constructed in a conventional manner. The incidence of unsafe stair use and key behaviors on the stairways were documented and compared.
The results showed that the glass stairway had incidents at a far higher rate than the conventional stairway. The rate of incidents in the interactive stairways was virtually the same to those in the conventional stairways. The findings suggest that research attention should be given to glass stair treads. Interactive sound needs to be studied in more depth to determine if the perception of hazardous conditions leads to more caution or if the sound features cause people to pay more attention and avoid hazardous behaviour. The research also demonstrates that more assessments of stairway designs in use can help identify best practices and additional gaps in knowledge for the design of stairways.
This thesis provides architects and researchers insights into identifying stairway design hazards and evaluating their effects on stair users. While there are many other issues in the design of stairways that require research attention, this research provides a method to complete further field assessments and offers suggestions for future work on stair safety.
Thesis Committee: Edward Steinfeld & Sue Weidemann
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Drafts by Karen Kim
World Deaf Architecture, 2020
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Papers by Karen Kim
Conference Presentations by Karen Kim
Thesis Chapters by Karen Kim
This thesis examined contemporary practices in stairway design and their effects on the behavior of stair users. A review of the professional literature identified innovative stairway design features related to stair safety. Two potentially hazardous features were identified for assessment in the real world: glass stair treads and interactive sound. Observations of stair use were collected at five different stairways in public buildings. The chosen design features were present in three of these stairways, and the other two stairways were constructed in a conventional manner. The incidence of unsafe stair use and key behaviors on the stairways were documented and compared.
The results showed that the glass stairway had incidents at a far higher rate than the conventional stairway. The rate of incidents in the interactive stairways was virtually the same to those in the conventional stairways. The findings suggest that research attention should be given to glass stair treads. Interactive sound needs to be studied in more depth to determine if the perception of hazardous conditions leads to more caution or if the sound features cause people to pay more attention and avoid hazardous behaviour. The research also demonstrates that more assessments of stairway designs in use can help identify best practices and additional gaps in knowledge for the design of stairways.
This thesis provides architects and researchers insights into identifying stairway design hazards and evaluating their effects on stair users. While there are many other issues in the design of stairways that require research attention, this research provides a method to complete further field assessments and offers suggestions for future work on stair safety.
Thesis Committee: Edward Steinfeld & Sue Weidemann
Drafts by Karen Kim
This thesis examined contemporary practices in stairway design and their effects on the behavior of stair users. A review of the professional literature identified innovative stairway design features related to stair safety. Two potentially hazardous features were identified for assessment in the real world: glass stair treads and interactive sound. Observations of stair use were collected at five different stairways in public buildings. The chosen design features were present in three of these stairways, and the other two stairways were constructed in a conventional manner. The incidence of unsafe stair use and key behaviors on the stairways were documented and compared.
The results showed that the glass stairway had incidents at a far higher rate than the conventional stairway. The rate of incidents in the interactive stairways was virtually the same to those in the conventional stairways. The findings suggest that research attention should be given to glass stair treads. Interactive sound needs to be studied in more depth to determine if the perception of hazardous conditions leads to more caution or if the sound features cause people to pay more attention and avoid hazardous behaviour. The research also demonstrates that more assessments of stairway designs in use can help identify best practices and additional gaps in knowledge for the design of stairways.
This thesis provides architects and researchers insights into identifying stairway design hazards and evaluating their effects on stair users. While there are many other issues in the design of stairways that require research attention, this research provides a method to complete further field assessments and offers suggestions for future work on stair safety.
Thesis Committee: Edward Steinfeld & Sue Weidemann