Authors:
Ine D’Haeseleer
;
Karsten Gielis
and
Vero Vanden Abeele
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, e-Media Research Lab, Belgium
Keyword(s):
Human-centred Design Process, Older Adults, Challenges, Health, Self-management, Recommendations.
Abstract:
Human-centred design approaches that involve older adults are becoming more and more commonplace in the development of digital systems to support self-management of health and well-being, ultimately contributing to ageing in place. In order to understand and design effective solutions, it is important to involve older adults from the beginning and throughout the iterative development process. However, conducting studies with this target population presents challenges and therefore requires specific adaptations. In this study, we reflect on the different human-centred methods, e.g., focus group discussions, interviews, and user-tests, that were conducted with older adults. In total, 81 participants (aged 65 to 97) were involved in a four-year human-centred design process.
On the basis of a thematic analysis, we reflect on the different methodological intricacies encountered and identify four themes: `a life course marked by grand experiences', `a discomfort with unknown digital techn
ologies', `impact of age-related impairments', and `relatedness as core to research participation'. Finally, insights and practical guidelines are formulated to help future researchers undertake more effective and useful human-centred study designs with older adults.
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