JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

As smart speakers become more popular, there has been an increasing number of studies on how smart speakers may benefit older adults or how older adults perceive smart speakers. Despite the increasing ownership rates of smart speakers among older adults, studies that examine the integration and the long-term use of smart speakers in older adults’ daily practices are scarce.

Objective:

This study aimed to identify how the use of smart speakers is integrated into older adults’ daily practices in the long term. This is important for contributing to an in-depth understanding of the sustained technology use among older adults.

Methods:

To achieve these objectives, the study interviewed 10 older adults who had used smart speakers for more than 6 months. The interview aimed to gather older adults’ perspectives and experiences with the long-term use of smart speakers. The interviews were semi-structured to allow for open-ended responses and explore various aspects of smart speaker use in the long term.

Results:

Three dimensions of the long-term use of smart speakers among older adults were identified, including functional integration, semantic integration and spatial integration. For the functional integration of smart speakers, the study reported different use genres, including entertainment, information collection, medication reminder, companionship, environment modification, as well as emergency calls. For the semantic integration of smart speakers, the findings revealed older adults’ enjoyable user experience and strong bonds with the device, which contribute to their acceptance of occasional functional errors. For the spatial integration of smart speakers, the study showed older adults' agency in defining, changing, and reshaping daily practices through the spatial organization of smart speakers. Finally, the study proposed several suggestions for designers and developers to better design smart speakers that promote sustainable usage behaviors among older adults.

Conclusions:

On the basis of the findings, this study highlighted the importance of understanding how older adults use smart speakers and the practices through which they integrate them into their daily routines. The findings suggest that smart speakers can provide significant benefits for older adults, including increased convenience and improved quality of life. However, to promote sustainable usage behaviors, designers and developers should consider more about the technology use contexts and the specific needs and preferences of older adults when designing these devices.