Crafted with Care: Reflections from co‐designing wearable technologies with care home residents

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Abstract

With increasing longevity and changes in population demographics; designers, engineers and architects are faced with the challenge of providing older adults with enabling technologies and home environments that facilitate physical activity and wellbeing. To promote acceptance and adoption, making these technologies more desirable and less stigmatizing is crucial. In this paper, we outline a craft-based co-design methodology that we developed working with groups of care home residents designing wearables for research. The research asks care home residents to wear activity-monitoring devices to provide insight into the ways they currently utilise their spaces and where improvements could be made. We propose that a craft-based approach allows designers to understand and uncover people’s capabilities and needs in a non-intrusive and empathic way. Our findings show that using this approach enabled creativity, confidence and connectedness amongst participants. We discuss our reflections and insights that have implications on the approach and future work.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of DRS2016
Subtitle of host publicationDesign + Research + Society - Future-Focused Thinking
EditorsPeter Lloyd, Erik Bohemia
PublisherDesign Research Society
Pages3295-3311
Number of pages17
Volume8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
Event2016 Design Research Society 50th Anniversary Conference - Brighton Dome, Brighton, United Kingdom
Duration: 27 Jun 201630 Jun 2016
http://www.drs2016.org/#drs2016

Conference

Conference2016 Design Research Society 50th Anniversary Conference
Abbreviated titleDRS 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityBrighton
Period27/06/1630/06/16
Internet address

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