JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Research for the development of fitness technologies to support older adults has grown significantly. However, reviews of relevant older adult fitness technologies have found middling results in terms of effectiveness and use of these technologies in practice by older adults has lagged other age groups. Our previous work, a scoping review of the space, showed a lack of alignment between the proposed technologies in the field and the expressed needs and preferences of older adults. We present and validate a design framework aimed to address this gap.

Objective:

Investigate how well the use of the Older Adult Fitness Design Framework helps to identify potential design gaps and leads to more well received, in terms of user experience outcomes and qualitative feedback, fitness technology interventions for older adults.

Methods:

The design framework was developed by synthesizing known important older adult specific factors from technology acceptance and qualitative literature. The framework is grounded in activity theory literature on affordances to help designers focus in on the key technologies, interactions, and overall objectives for the fitness technology interventions. The case study consisted of four parts: 1. A two-week pilot study prior to use of the design framework, 2. Two design workshops led by use of the design framework, 3. A four week follow up study to assess the changes from the design workshops, and 4. Six focus group and one-on-one interview sessions to explore more deeply design ideas stemming from the design workshops.

Results:

The pilot study (M: 1, F: 2, Average age: 78) suggested an overall positive reception to the Elder Smart Chair. However, lower scores on enjoyment and motivation suggested the need for further development. Utilization of the framework led to minimizing overall space requirements, updating training materials, and exploring alternatives to the screen based system. Results from the four week follow up study (M: 2, F: 1, Average age: 70.3) further suggested a gap related to motivation and enjoyment in the screen based design. Six focus group and interview sessions (Total: 25 participants) were conducted in the local community. Feedback from these sessions suggested a preference towards an LED alternative to the screen noting its simplicity, discreteness, and fun. Furthermore, orienting the discussions around the older adult specific factors led to more nuanced feedback around potential reasons for the lack of motivation and enjoyment in the initial prototype, privacy concerns, and stigma. Future work is to further develop the framework based on the findings from this study and utilization in future older adult fitness technology research projects.

Conclusions:

Presented and validated in this manuscript is the Older Adult Fitness Technology Design Framework, which aims to supplement participatory design practice by synthesizing what we already know in the field about older adults related to technology and health and fitness, and allow for researchers and designers to identify potential areas for improvement more easily through self-assessment. We encourage researchers and designers to try it and give us their own feedback, so that we better support researchers and designers in the older adult fitness technology space.