"that's something that as a senior person you have to consider now": Unpacking Older Adults' Preferences for End-of-Life Data Planning

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

What happens to a person's data after they pass away? Designing for digital legacy requires input from individuals across all life stages, as motivations to plan vary with age. Yet, the specific perspectives that older adults have on end-of-life data management have not been investigated in depth. Through interviews with 16 older adults, we examine their preferences and motivations for managing everyday digital data (e.g., text messages, social media, photos) after death. Our findings surface several implications for end-of-life data planning, including creating awareness about digital legacy and associated risks. We also unpack and discuss how older adults' life stage and familiarity with end-of-life planning uniquely positions them to identify barriers and opportunities in managing digital legacy, such as how post-mortem data can encode societal norms of a period or be donated for the greater good.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationDIS 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference
EditorsNuno Jardim Nunes, Valentina Nisi, Ian Oakley, Qian Yang, Clement Zheng
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages663-675
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9798400714856
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 4 2025
Event2025 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, DIS 2025 - Madeira, Portugal
Duration: Jul 5 2025Jul 9 2025

Publication series

NameDIS 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference

Conference

Conference2025 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, DIS 2025
Country/TerritoryPortugal
CityMadeira
Period7/5/257/9/25

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Software

Keywords

  • data preferences
  • death
  • death privacy
  • digital legacy
  • end-of-life data management
  • older adults
  • post-mortem data

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