Reframing Dichotomies

The aim of this chapter is to propose a new way to meaningfully bridge the dichotomy between technological and human concerns in the context of E-health systems. We see ‘Design’ as having the responsibility to ensure that humans can fulfill themselves in the world of things (or technology). First, this chapter raises issues surrounding human-centered design of E-health, caused by three major dichotomies which create imbalances that have caused a lack of true human-centered-ness: (1) the human-user dichotomy, (2) the virtual-physical dichotomy, and (3) the experiential-practical dichotomy. Second, this chapter reframes a categorization of customer, user, person and human, which allows us to discover new aspects of ‘humans’ and of true ‘Human-centered design’. Third, the concept of Tangible Presence in Blended Reality Space, an emerging integration of HCI concerns and Mediated Presence research, is introduced. Finally, the author proposes a new way of approaching human-centered design, what they call Human-Experiential Design, through which the experiential-practical dichotomy is effectively blended. The author believes that this view will be significantly important in attempts to go a further step in the development of better E-health, capitalizing on seamless combinations of the virtual and the physical in blended reality. Such blends will release human beings from the strain that existing dichotomies bring.