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New & Emerging Technologies
for Old & Ageing PeopleLouis Neven - Avans University of Applied Science
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Introduction Dr. Louis Neven – Lector Active Ageing
innovations for active older people
U Twente, U Lancaster, U Utrecht -> Avans Hogeschool
STS/Innovation Studies: has a lot to do with sociology
Sociologists study the everyday lives of people and their functioning in their surroudings,
social ties, families, laws, norms, values, role patterns, cultural connections etc.
I study how this relates to technology; i.e. the relation between people and technology
You could say I am a Sociologist of Technology
Would you rather be a sociologist of technology or an engineer?
You are both!
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Because you makeUser Representations(Akrich 1995)
Imaginations of the future user
- Who is this person?- What do they do?- What do they look like?- What do their lives look like?- What do they think is cool?- What do they think is wrong?- What problems do they have?- What do they like? Etc.
You form a mental image of who the future user of a technology will be.
This is a user representation.
And this matters. A lot.
User representations
User representations are important
They influence the design of technologies
Effect acceptability, appropriation and use of technology
May lead to forced use, stigmatization and other ethical problems if you get it
wrong
If you get it right: Key success factor in design for end users
Particularly older people, which is the topic of today
Illustrate this with the case of robots for older people
break
7 suggestions for the design of technologies for older people
But first a short introduction to ageing
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Should you be interested in Ageing? 1 in 9 persons worldwide is currently above 60
In 2050 this will rise to 1 in 5 (UNFPA 2012)
In western societies currently 1 in 6 is above 65
In 2060 this will be nearly 1 in 3 (EC 2012)
In the Netherlands currently 2.500.000 people are above 65
and 800.000 are above 80 (CBS 2011)
Which is before the retirement of the vast majority of the baby-boom generation
EU: ageing is a “grand challenges” for Europe
Ambient Assisted Living: investment in assistive technology for older people
(measured in billions)
In addition: older people are relatively affluent
And will increasingly provide for their own care (technology)
The “silver market” is going to be very big
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One area of investment: Robots & Older people: aibo
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Robots & older people (2): Paro
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Robots & older people (3): Ifbot
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Introduction
So the development of robotics – and for that matter other
technologies as well – for older people is big business
How is the older user of a (health) robot represented in the
development of such a robot.
Focus on a laboratory test with a human interaction robot (iRo)
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iRo – a human interaction robot
IRo
Small and immobile, sits on table
Speak to iRo in plain Dutch, will reply likewise
Facial expression, emotional responses
Can be programmed to do various tasks
E.g. set alarm clock, remember people to measure blood pressure, provide
companionship
In this case programmed as a game companion
Cognitively challenging games
Study of a test with iRo and older test participants
Analysed the way the older user was represented in these tests
Multi-method approach: interviews, observations, document analysis
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Developing iRo & learning about (older) users
Dutch multi-national company
Technologies for health and well-being
Increasing focus on older users
iRo developed by research department
Research prototype to study human-robot interaction
With a view to further development into a product
Knowing the user
Literature review, workshop, consultation with experts
Learning about practices: testing
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The tests
Two rounds of tests:
Laboratory test
Field test
Participants
65 years and older, living in single person household, equal gender
distribution, cognitively healthy
Goals: technical, easy to use, enjoyment, recruiting for field test
According to researchers tests went well
A few problems, participants enthusiastic about games, generally
liked iRo
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User Representation: Needing and wanting iRo
Ageing society
Number of older people is growing, cost of (health) care is increasing, shortage of
qualified care workers
Older people want to live independently as long as possible
Quality of life may be reduced when they live alone
Older people worried about their mental health
Robots
Practical assistance, which allows people to stay at home
Intellectual and emotional companion older people can bond with
Older people seen as needing, but eventually also wanting robots
Clear-cut case for the development of robotics
Researchers not the only ones making user representations
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Test users have a different image
‘I still lead too much of an active life; I’ve always been amongst people. I don’t need an
iRo, not yet anyway.’ (Mrs. A)
‘I collect old army radios, you see. (…) I don’t need to be kept busy. But I think there are
plenty of old people sitting behind their geraniums who need to be kept busy, for them
it would be good.’ (Mr. B)
‘If you were, say, old and growing demented, then I could imagine this being a good
thing, but for me? (…) You’d have to be a lonely old person, chained to your home
with few contacts. I still go to my checkers club.’ (Mr. C)
10 out of 12 participants gave this response
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Test users images: how not to be old and lonely
For the participants, iRo was a signifier of old age, loneliness and
needing care
Participants did not see themselves as such
Active dissociating from ‘old people’
Presented themselves as (socially) active, independent, and physically
and cognitively healthy
Researchers attributed reaction to the media
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Being helpful and not old
Participating in the field test
Counterintuitive
Participating in tests to help other, older, people
‘I think it’s fun and interesting, not because I want one but to help somebody else. I like that (...) I think I am helping people with this.’ (Mrs. D)
Position themselves as active, healthy, altruistic, helpful older people, seemingly (still) untouched by the negative consequences of aging.
Further widening the gap with the perceived prospective user of iRo
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Researchers’ responses
Taken into account in a very limited way
Downplaying of responses
Cause is media
Quick fix: early introduction of iRo
Keeping responses from skewing the results
Additional user representation: what older people are like as test users
Hard to recruit, not open, turn up early, take more time, an outing, limited
attention span, quite easily overburdened, more explanation
older participants are thus positioned as different and difficult
Thus created a setting in which they could negate the participants ideas
about the imagined user of iRo.
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Conclusion
Representation of being old and frail could lead to resistance and non-use:
problems of appropriation
Reflecting on representations into account could prevent ageist designs
More reflexive redesign of technologies, better adapted to the practices and
identities of older users
A smart designer does not just know the technology, but knows his (older)
users as well
That is not particularly easy, but it is very important, if you want to produce
a successfull innovation
Questions about this case?
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What are older people like? And how to design for them?
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Seven Suggestions for Design (1)
Reflect on cultural representations of older people
Cultural representations of ageing
Images of older people (e.g. in the media): all the same, frail, ill, grey, slow, lonely,
cost a lot of money, don’t contribute, (cognitive) health problems, but deserve respect.
While older people are very diverse
Ageism: Most accepted – and understudied – form of discrimination
Internalisation by older people themselves
Particularly: The ageism of good intentions
Example: Belgian ING bank
Beware of normative elements in “innovating for older people”, they may lead to lack of
reflexivity with regard to user representations of older people (and thus flawed
technologies)
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Seven Suggestions for Design (2)
Reflect on the effects of the ageing-and-innovation discourse
Very dominant discourse in the context of technology & ageing
Crisis account: People are getting older, increased need and costs of (health) care, too
few care workers to care for older people.
This can be solved with the introduction of new technologies
Triple win
Positions people as ill, frail and in need of help
Move beyond this reasoning, and provide better arguments
Beware of positioning people as old, lonely and frail
Also chances: Tap into third age repertoire of successful ageing
EVEN if people ARE a bit frail or need help with some things
an example
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Examples 1: Nordic walking sticks (1)
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Examples 1: Nordic walking sticks (2)
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Example 1: Nordic Walking sticks (3)
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Seven Suggestions for Design (3)
Older people are not technologically illiterate
Older people have a different technological literacy
In a sense older people lead highly technological lives
More technologies and expertise (then you might think)
Potentially more dependent of technologies
More likely actual cyborgs (pace-makers & other implants)
More technologies during their lives (increased reflexivity)
Different technological generation (Docampo Rama 2001)
Software, electro-mechanical, mechanical generations
Although they may not be as apt in using current technologies, older people are far
from technologically illiterate.
Tap into the literacy that they do have (the case of Cees)
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The case of Cees
Innovation? €300
,-
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Seven Suggestions for Design (4)
Some older people can participate in design processes
Secondary representations
what older people are like as participants in design processes
‘quickly overburdened’, ‘can’t think conceptually’, ‘please-me answers’, ‘don’t know
what’s possible’, ‘discard options beforehand’
These are often homogeneous images, but older people are divers
Some older people are very capable of participating in design
Morecambe, Preston
Find them, cherish them, pay them
Thus generating alternate views of older people (also pr)
Older people as experts
Where are the older designers? (mining engineer and army radio man)
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Seven Suggestions for Design (5)
Reflexive design
Risk of naturalisation/normalisation of bad design
Engraining exclusion, passivity, lack of options
Some use of technology is forced!!
Especially for older people
If stereotypical and ageist ideas about older people form the basis for the
design of technologies for older people, these technologies may further
reinforce and naturalise these stereotypical and ageist ideas
Thus reflexivity with regard to the way older users are represented in design
processes and the way these images are built into technology is called for
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Seven Suggestions for Design (6)
Adaptability as an essential pre-requisite
recognise that singular images of older users are simplifications
even though older people are often seen as a homogeneous group
Older people and their practices are diverse
Practices, health conditions change
(other) new technologies are introduced
→ allow for adaptability by people with different technological literacies
(as older people, care workers, informal carers may have)
Some older people may have more skills for adapting technology than you might
think
Older people as lead-users (not laggards)(Vivette van Cooten, Louis Neven, Alexander Peine)
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Seven Suggestions for Design (7)
Resistance as input for design
Resistance may be the result of the (implied) user representation
Allow for resistance, non-use, selective use, “sabotage” etc.
Study forms of resistance as they are instances of reflexive learning
on the part of the user about who she or he is, what she or he wants,
needs, prefers, dislikes etc.
“Small” or “insignificant” issues can have big impacts on how a
technology and the user is perceived
Consider resistance in the context of appropriation
Example: the problems of appropriating iRo
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Wrapping up
‘But obviously not for me’
User representations can be designed into
technologies
Potentially ageist results
They may then affect use practices
And (older) people may reject a
technology
Failure is expensive
understanding (older) people leads to
more sophisticated user represen-tations
A key to a successful design
Suggestions for representing older people
1. Reflect: cultural representations of ageing
• Ageism of good intentions
2. Reflect on Ageing & Innovation discourse
• Third age views provides options
3. Older people are not tech. illiterate
4. Older people can participate in design
5. Reflexive Design
6. Adaptability as pre-requisite
7. Resistance as input
Opdracht
Hoe kun je zien dat het een
ontwerp voor ouderen is?
Wat veronderstelt dit over oud
zijn? (user representations)
Stel je de vraag: hoe zou ik het
vinden als iemand dit voor mij
ontworpen had?
Zoek 5 technologieën voor
ouderen (beeldmateriaal)
Als je zelf oud was, hoe zou je
het ontwerp dan veranderen?
Voorbeelden technologieën
Doro telefoons, andere
ouderen telefoons
Telecare systemen en andere
monitoring apparatuur
Multifunctionele
Beeldbelsystemen voor
ouderen
Hulpmiddelen (ouderenwinkels,
welzorg)
Etc.
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