Inclusion of older adults in the research and design of digital technology

Ittay Mannheim, Ella Schwartz, Wanyu Xi, Sandra C. Buttigieg, Mary McDonnell-Naughton, Eveline J.M. Wouters, Yvonne van Zaalen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

156 Scopus citations

Abstract

Digital technology holds a promise to improve older adults’ well-being and promote ageing in place. However, there seems to be a discrepancy between digital technologies that are developed and what older adults actually want and need. Ageing is stereotypically framed as a problem needed to be fixed, and older adults are considered to be frail and incompetent. Not surprisingly, many of the technologies developed for the use of older adults focus on care. The exclusion of older adults from the research and design of digital technology is often based on such negative stereotypes. In this opinion article, we argue that the inclusion rather than exclusion of older adults in the design process and research of digital technology is essential if technology is to fulfill the promise of improving well-being. We emphasize why this is important while also providing guidelines, evidence from the literature, and examples on how to do so. We unequivocally state that designers and researchers should make every effort to ensure the involvement of older adults in the design process and research of digital technology. Based on this paper, we suggest that ageism in the design process of digital technology might play a role as a possible barrier of adopting technology.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3718
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume16
Issue number19
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Oct 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Funding

Funding: The project leading to this article received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 764632, ‘Euroageism.’ Acknowledgments: We would like to acknowledge and thank additional colleagues, Stefan Hopf, Hanna Köttl and Ghulam M. Nasir, who contributed to the development of this project as part of the work done in the Euroageism innovative training network. The project leading to this article received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 764632, ‘Euroageism.’ We would like to acknowledge and thank additional colleagues, Stefan Hopf, Hanna Köttl and Ghulam M. Nasir, who contributed to the development of this project as part of the work done in the Euroageism innovative training network.

FundersFunder number
Euroageism innovative training network
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions764632

    Keywords

    • Ageism
    • Digital technology
    • Ethics
    • Inclusion
    • Older adults

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