Understanding Older Adults' (Dis)Engagement with Design Materials

Alisha Pradhan, Ben Jelen, Ramprabu Thangaraj, Katie A. Siek, Shannon Jette, Amanda Lazar

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

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Design workshops are a popular approach to include older adults in the technology design process. However, formative design sessions with older adults have had unexpected outcomes such as the non-use of traditional design materials like craft-based prototyping supplies or disengagement from design activities. Analyzing the engagement of 32 older adults across two design workshops, this paper sheds insights on some of these outcomes. Contributing to a growing body of HCI research on understanding older adults' participation in design, we provide an understanding of how design materials can shape older adults' engagement in formative design activities. Our discussion furthers research on understanding who older adults design for and why, argues for a different understanding of creative expression, and offers considerations for choosing design materials.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationCHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9798400713941
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 26 2025
Externally publishedYes
Event2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2025 - Yokohama, Japan
Duration: Apr 26 2025May 1 2025

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2025
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityYokohama
Period4/26/255/1/25

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Software

Keywords

  • Older adults
  • co-design
  • design materials
  • design workshops
  • participatory design

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