Older adults’ user experience testing of five smart furniture prototypes
Ojala, Jonna (2020)
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121327871
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121327871
Tiivistelmä
The number of Finnish people over 65 years old is rising in the future. The life expectancy of the older people has also risen, which allows them to live longer in their own houses, but also increases the need for supporting services. Technology can be used to increase the independence, autonomy, and safety of the seniors.
This study was conducted in cooperation with the BaltSe@nioR project in the fall of 2018. The purpose was to study user experiences of seniors who participated in the BaltSe@nioR project’s event. The study focused on which aspects of the presented prototypes would need most development for them to be usable, functional, and meaningful for the seniors. The study also gathered development ideas from seniors for further prototype development work.
This was a mixed method study, where the data was collected with questionnaires and observation. The questionnaires were collected from all voluntary seniors over 65-year-old. The observation was done in the MeWet home at Ulvila, where the seniors tested the smart furniture prototypes. Five of the presented prototypes were selected for this study: The Smart Chair, the Magic Mirror, the ReAble Chair, the 3D Printed handles and the Mobile robot with the fall detection boards. 43 questionnaires were received that met the criteria, and the data was analyzed by theory-grounded content analysis based on Garrett’s chart of the Elements of User Experience.
The results indicated that the prototypes could support the coping of seniors at home in the future. Conclusion was that the functions important to the user increased the meaningfulness of the prototype. The seniors were mainly interested in these prototypes, and many experienced that the prototypes have the potential to add content and benefits to their lives, such as entertainment or a sense of security. The brand of the prototype should be for all, not only for seniors or disabled people. This type of early prototype testing was good, so that the user experience comes along on the early stages of the design process. This way resources would not be wasted unnecessarily.
This study was conducted in cooperation with the BaltSe@nioR project in the fall of 2018. The purpose was to study user experiences of seniors who participated in the BaltSe@nioR project’s event. The study focused on which aspects of the presented prototypes would need most development for them to be usable, functional, and meaningful for the seniors. The study also gathered development ideas from seniors for further prototype development work.
This was a mixed method study, where the data was collected with questionnaires and observation. The questionnaires were collected from all voluntary seniors over 65-year-old. The observation was done in the MeWet home at Ulvila, where the seniors tested the smart furniture prototypes. Five of the presented prototypes were selected for this study: The Smart Chair, the Magic Mirror, the ReAble Chair, the 3D Printed handles and the Mobile robot with the fall detection boards. 43 questionnaires were received that met the criteria, and the data was analyzed by theory-grounded content analysis based on Garrett’s chart of the Elements of User Experience.
The results indicated that the prototypes could support the coping of seniors at home in the future. Conclusion was that the functions important to the user increased the meaningfulness of the prototype. The seniors were mainly interested in these prototypes, and many experienced that the prototypes have the potential to add content and benefits to their lives, such as entertainment or a sense of security. The brand of the prototype should be for all, not only for seniors or disabled people. This type of early prototype testing was good, so that the user experience comes along on the early stages of the design process. This way resources would not be wasted unnecessarily.