University of Waterloo

Purpose

This project will, through a deep contextual design exercise, design, prototype, and evaluate a suite of gameful technologies that foster discussions about successful aging between older adults, their family, friends, and caregivers. First, the team will examine common sources of miscommunication between older adults and their peers. Second, low-fidelity prototypes will be designed to explore how gameful technology can guide and motivate communication between older adults and their peers. Third, the prototypes will then be collaboratively designed and evaluated through joint design workshops involving the researchers, and older adults and caregivers with lived experience. Finally, a medium-fidelity prototype will be developed to combine successful design features from the joint design workshop for a week-long field study. The research will improve our understanding of how communication technologies can support older adults aging in place and provide design guidance for researchers and practitioners developing such technology.