The ELDer project: social, emotional, and environmental factors in the design of eldercare technologies

Abstract

The ELDeR (Enhanced Living through Design Research) Project, comprised of a team of designers and behavioral scientists, conducted a four-month study at a seniors community near Pittsburgh, PA. The purpose of the project was to understand the experiences of elders and their caregivers in order to: 1) study the eldercare experience from the perspective of primary stakeholders; 2) to assess the importance of psychological and social factors in the eldercare experience; and 3) to identify implications for product, interface, and interaction design and opportunities for new products and technologies. Our findings show that social, emotional, and environmental factors play a key role in the eldercare experience and the adoption and use of new products. We argue that designing eldercare technologies to address all of these factors lowers social and economic barriers to universal usability.