Exploring Intelligent Technology for Older People through Speculative Design

Yu Huang

Aging Society

Project Overview

Intro

Overview

Aging Society

the percentage of the elderly population worldwide (OECD)

^{https://data.oecd.org/pop/elderly-population.htm}

Project Overview

Intro

Overview

Booming market of gerontechnology

News Papers Articles …

AGING · TECHNOLOGY

Project Overview

Intro

Overview

Project Overview

Intro

The Notion of Aging

Interview Findings

Pitfalls of Technology

Overview

Project Overview

Intro

The Notion of Aging

Interview Findings

Pitfalls of Technology

Design for Openness

Co-speculation

Intra-action Model

Overview

The Notion of Aging

Interview Findings

Pitfalls of Technology

Design for Openness

Co-speculation

Intra-action Model

Concept Artifact

Design Implication

Evaluation

Project Overview

Intro

Overview

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Tension 1

The Notion of Aging

Interview Findings

Pitfalls of Technology

^{a gap between the real needs and wants emerging in the aging process and what is provided by current mainstream gerontechnology is identified}

Tension 1

The Notion of Aging/Old Age

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

What are we talking about when we talk about aging?

The origin of current understanding of aging

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

The Notion of Aging/Old Age

The origin of current understanding of aging

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

The Notion of Aging/Old Age

• Medical science in the 19^th century treats older bodies differently

​

• Medicalization
• Aging = physical deterioration

• Advent of government programs in 19^th century including nursing homes, pensions, etc.
• Institutional arrangements allocate people into the category of ‘old’ by age

​

• Problematization
• Individual experience-> mass-scale problem
• Monolithic ‘aged’ group

• Normalization of fixed retirement ages

​

• Being old = chronological age
• Standardized expectation around age

The origin of current understanding of aging

• Medical science in the 19^th century treats older bodies differently

​

• Medicalization
• Aging = physical deterioration

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

The Notion of Aging/Old Age

The origin of current understanding of aging

• Advent of government programs in 19^th century including nursing homes, pensions, etc.
• Institutional arrangements allocate people into the category of ‘old’ by age

​

• Problematization
• Individual experience-> mass-scale problem
• Monolithic ‘aged’ group

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

The Notion of Aging/Old Age

The origin of current understanding of aging

• Normalization of fixed retirement ages

​

• Being old = chronological age
• Standardized expectation around age

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

The Notion of Aging/Old Age

The origin of current understanding of aging

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

The Notion of Aging/Old Age

The Pitfalls of Technology

How does the common understanding of aging influence today's technological innovation for older people?

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Pitfalls

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Is this the best way of embedding technology in older people’s life?

Pitfalls

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)

Activity Sensors

Bodily Sensors

Medication Reminder

Telecare Device

Are they all what older people need?

Diversity

Dynamic

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Diversity

Dynamic

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Diversity

Dynamic

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

There’re too many what-ifs regarding this technology.

​

What if there’s a power outage?

What if you drop a pill in the sink?

What if your loved one is in pain and needs medication sooner rather than later?

…

In the long term, the needs always keep changing.

Diversity

Dynamic

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Pitfalls

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Is this the best way to manifest technology for older people?

Pitfalls

The Pitfalls of Technology

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

RQ: What are the characteristics of aging and the needs of aging people?

What approaches shall we take to gain the true understanding?

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Nussbaum (2006) made a list containing 10 central capabilities that every human being should have to live with dignity

A theoretical framework: the Capability Approach

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

The probing toolkit

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Hybrid Coding

Thematic Analysis

Vignette Writing

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Hybrid Coding

Thematic Analysis

Vignette Writing

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Analyze on different levels

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

What are the needs of aging people through the lens of CA?

• Aging people’s needs are various and rooted in daily practices. To bear their lived experiences in mind is a must.

• Aging does not happen overnight.
• Aging is complex and deeply personal.
• Attitudes towards aging are different.

What are the characteristics of aging?

^{Developmental / Multi-faceted / Dynamic / Complex / Personal}

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

^{Rigid / Over-medicalized / One-size-fits-all / Stigmatized /Tech-oriented}

Interview Findings

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Tension 1

Design Goal

How to design a product-service system (PSS)

that can be effectively appropriated

by aging people in varied ways

tailored by personal daily needs?

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Design Features

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Design Features

MYTHS & PITFALLS

Phase 1

Design for Openness

OPENNESS IN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Phase 2

Tension 2

Design for Openness

Co-speculation Workshop Findings

The Intra-action Model

^{the seemingly paradoxical misalignment between design and use in the design for openness}

Tension 2

Design for Openness

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Phase 2

What is design for openness?

Design for Openness

Phase 2

Design for Openness

^{What is so powerful about design for openness is its potential to satiate various needs over time, in the meanwhile, promote autonomy in users.}

Design for Appropria-tion

Ambiguity in design

End-user Development (EUD)

Meta-design

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Intra-action

Phase 2

Appropria-tion

Ambiguity in design

End-user Development (EUD)

Meta-design

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Promote various ways of use and encourage the uncertainty in design

Commonality

Theories

Intra-action

Phase 2

Appropria-tion

Ambiguity in design

End-user Development (EUD)

Meta-design

Promote various ways of use and encourage the uncertainty in design

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

- Situatedness

Each use case is uniquely constructed in a certain situation

- Dynamic

The openness of use purposes offers the potential to satiate changing needs over time.

- Autonomy

The purpose of use is decided by users thereby enhancing the autonomy in users.

Commonality

Advantages

Theories

Intra-action

Phase 2

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Views the human and the thing as one unit.

The boundary in-between is co-constituted continuously through sense-making or enacting process within the socio-cultural context

Human

Thing

Interaction

Intra-action

Intra-action (Barad, 2007)

Intra-action Model

Phase 2

Human

Thing

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

2

Co-speculation Session

Phase 2

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

1

3

2

1

3

How to implement ‘design for openness’ in practice

Co-speculation Session

Phase 2

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Co-speculation Session

Phase 2

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Co-speculation Session

Phase 2

Risk: ineffective appropriation

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Speculations

• Using magnifying lens to retrieve related information
• Using synchronized stickers to be gently informed of a close friend’s state
• A smart paper-clip bookmark to remind reading a long-forgotten unfinished book
• …

Difficulty of speculation

the configuration of physical affordances and digital functions is arbitrary and complex.

Misalignment

Phase 2

Ineffective appropriation

Misalignment of design and use.

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Phase 2

Ineffective appropriation

Perspective of design

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Misalignment

Phase 2

Ineffective appropriation

Perspective of use

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Misalignment

Phase 2

Ineffective appropriation

Misalignment of design and use.

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Misalignment

Phase 2

Isn't the whole point of openness in design

to encourage and accommodate the possible different ways of use (including unexpected ones)?

​

Now why should we be concerned about

the actual ways of use being different from what's expected?

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Misalignment

Phase 2

Cases of Ineffective appropriation

Inefficient Use

Failure of Adoption

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Misalignment

- Use a piece of paper to cut things

- A piece of broken glass

Phase 2

Ineffective appropriation

Inefficient Use

Failure of Adoption

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Misalignment

- A piece of paper like a knife

- A piece of paper to be folded into a capsule to collect paper clips

Co-speculation Session

Phase 2

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Open↑Raw/Primitive↑Possible ways of use↑Threshold of use ↑

How might we lower the misalignment between design and use to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of use but still maintain the openness in design?

OPEN DESIGN & FRAMEWORK

Misalignment

Tension2

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Explore with a Concept Artifact

Design Implication

Evaluation

Finding

^{Critical reflection on the framework and the alternative design process.}

Reflection

Reflection

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Concept artifact

clamp - documents, clothes, food packages, arrange, remind, orderliness, appointment …

magnet - direction, navigate, secured …

ring - symbol, stamp, identity, heritage …�

Affordances

�(Figurative) associations are easy to elicit from the everyday objects.

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Concept artifact

Adoption phase

��// The familiarity given by the physical affordances can provide an easy entry point of use and

encourage further exploration with the digital functions.

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Concept artifact

Exploration phase

��// Become familiar with the digital functions.

​

// Come up with new ways of use in different contexts.

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Concept artifact

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Concept artifact

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Concept artifact

Phase 3

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Evaluation

The concept artifact in evaluation

​

Used for critical inquiry to reflectively explore and question possible, and preferable futures

Trifold evaluation aims

​

1. whether the associated meanings provided by the everyday object (in this case, clamp) is enough to hint at possible ways of use;
2. whether the design could lead to various ways of use and whether the resulting expansion of capabilities is of intrinsic value;
3. *what concerns or other discussions might be provoked by this artifact and how.

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Evaluation

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Evaluation

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Evaluation

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Evaluation

Phase 3

Evaluation

Evaluation

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Findings

​

1. The artifact can accommodate various ways of use in different situations and have the potential to strengthen different capabilities.
2. Most mentioned use scenarios are evenly from older participants and designers.
3. The specific use scenario mentioned by individuals is highly related to their personal lived experience.

​

Evaluation

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Findings

​

1. Association – Events – Values
2. The associated meaning elicited by the everyday object (in this case, clamp) is enough to hint at possible ways of use.
3. How the original associations elicited by the object can trigger the natural envisaging of different ways of use and how different values can be realized.

​

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Implications

Design Protocol 1:

Directional Physical Affordances��- the physical affordances of the artifact should be familiar to provide an easy entry point of use and anchor the object in everyday lives

Design-Aid Questions:

How can people sense and respond to it? How can it be heuristic in what way?

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Implications

Design Protocol 2:

Adaptable Digital Functions

��- open-ended and adaptable functions

- the purposes of use enabled by digital

functions should be open.

Design-Aid Questions:

By adding this function, what is closed and what

keeps open? Can people easily use the function

for various purposes?

High-level functions

functions that are already closely matched to the task

too high-level -> too specialized

• An apple peeler is well matched to its purpose but it has a restricted set of use
• Spelling checkers are powerful but of little aid outside their domain

Middle-level functions

Low-level functions

functions that are highly configurable

too low-level -> too primitive

• IFTTT can be configured to realize many tasks but it requires prerequisite skills to work with

adaptable functions

• temporal (e.g., timer, timing for …)
• numerical (e.g., motion-detection counter, counting for …)
• meaning (e.g., recorder, recording for …)
• contents (e.g., transmitting)
• …

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Implications

High-level functions

functions that are already closely matched to the task

too high-level -> too specialized

• An apple peeler is well matched to its purpose but it has a restricted set of use
• Spelling checkers are powerful but of little aid outside their domain

Middle-level functions

Low-level functions

functions that are highly configurable

too low-level -> too primitive

• IFTTT can be configured to realize many tasks but it requires prerequisite skills to work with

adaptable functions

• temporal (e.g., timer, timing for …)
• numerical (e.g., motion-detection counter, counting for …)
• meaning (e.g., recorder, recording for …)
• contents (e.g., transmitting)
• …

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Implications

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Implications

Design Protocol 3:

Meaningful Combination

��- While the physical affordances provide the directional cues, the digital functions should open up different ways of use. Do not keep both of them open.

- The combination should be meaningful.

Design-Aid Questions:

Does the pairing of physical affordances and

digital functions make sense? Is there any

obstacles that might hinder the adoption

process?

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Ramifications

A Feedforward Set Mainly Consisting of

Everyday Physical Affordance

​

- high-level object properties (that connect vision to behavior)

​

​

​

feedforward: occur before action and informed the expected action result

affordance: invite an appropriate action

feedback: informs the result of performing an action

​

​

Lebrecht, S., Bar, M., Barrett, L. F., & Tarr, M. J. (2012). Micro-valences: perceiving affective valence in everyday objects. Frontiers in psychology, 3, 107.

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Ramifications

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Implications

capability inputs (technological artifacts)

capability set

functionings

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Implications

①

②

③

④

⑤

⑥

It can be used to break design fixations.

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Reflection

The risk of useless design and ‘overdesign’

​

How to make sure the pairing between the everyday object and extra digital functions does not lead to loss of purpose?

​

# How to avoid useless combination choices?

# The use scope of the design method?

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Reflection

Conclusion

Highlights

Empirical

Findings

Methods

Conceptual Constructs

• The mismatch between the needs in the aging process and what’s provided by current mainstream gerontechnology.
• The proposal of ‘design for openness’ as a design strategy.
• The identification of potential risks of openness in design.

A probing toolkit based on CA

Materials of generative sessions

A methodological path to translate abstract philosophical concepts into design practices

CONTRIBUTION

Acknowledgement

Questions & Comments

A Feedback Set Mainly Enabled by digital Functions

​

design pitfall:

1. adaptable ≠ multi-function (e.g. super appliance) (Buxton)
2. avoid the total loss of purpose (e.g. the distance between the earth and the moon)

The color use & anti-stereotype

Is it for the sake of anti-stereotype?

​

# evidence for color preferences?

​

​

young designers’ expected choice

real choice of older adults

CONCEPT & IMPLICATION

Phase 3

Reflection

Results/Provocative Points

The color use & anti-stereotype

Is it for the sake of anti-stereotype?

​

# evidence for color preferences?

​

​

young designers’ expected choice

real choice of older adults

Results/Provocative Points

The alternative design process & its use scope

Is it a provocative irony?

The risk of useless design?

​

How to make sure the pairing between the everyday object and extra digital functions does not lead to loss of purpose?

​

# How to avoid useless combination choices?

# the use scope of the design method?

choose an everyday object that has rich associations with daily contexts / cultural meanings

provide a hint of possible ways of use by recalling familiar daily contexts associated with it

add a digital function that’s deemed probably related to the contexts/meanings