From Novelty to Normality : Leveraging human factors to shape the Human-AI relationships in rural healthcare

Sammanfattning

This thesis explored a way of introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the specialized, high-stakes context of rural healthcare. In collaboration with the Swedish Centre for Rural Health, the project investigated how interaction design can shift AI from an attention-demanding novelty into a trusted, ambient normality embedded within real-time clinical workflows. An on-site ethnographic field study revealed that resilient care coordination in rural clinics relies fundamentally on physical paper notes to offset cognitive load and bridge rigid electronic health records (EHR) with fluid clinical routines. Reframing time and materiality as central design assets, this thesis presented an "interactive composition" approach that blends sub-symbolic AI capabilities (such as computer vision and OCR) with the flexibility of paper. The final design—comprising a tangible console ("Private Dial" and "Entry Screen") and a synchronized digital widget—demonstrates how AI can enter an active healthcare ecosystem gracefully. By honoring rather than erasing analog habits, this approach provides a scalable framework for long-term human-AI coexistence, enhancing systemic resilience and legibility without increasing the administrative or cognitive burden on frontline clinicians.