Making sure the end user had an influence on the design they actually use!

What did we seek to accomplish?

How Prototypes can Empower Older Adults in Participatory Design

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Abstract

This thesis and research explore how Participatory Design (PD) suffices in supporting older adults to participate in the ongoing digitalization of the society. We explore how prototypes can be leveraged by PD facilitators to strengthen older adults’ voices in co-design. The research question addressed in our thesis is: “How can we support facilitators in leveraging prototypes to strengthen older adults’ ability to participate in PD?”

We initiated and conducted a comprehensive PD project at a senior center
in Oslo, lasting over seven months. The project consisted of two phases; the first aimed to establish a good foundation for design, and the second phase, consisting of two independent design projects, resulted in two functional prototypes; an anti-fraud app and a TV-remote. The app is still being used at the time of writing, several months after the project ended. Although related work points to the wide applicability of prototypes, we identified a lack of concrete actions facilitators should consider during the implementation of prototypes in PD processes with older adults.

Through two analyses of our gathered data, we have analyzed both prototyping as an activity, and prototypes as results of PD projects. Our main findings concludes in 10 facilitator guidelines for leveraging prototypes, acting as guidelines for facilitators to follow to strengthen older adults’ ability to participate in PD. Our contribution is a step towards the ongoing search for new ways to include older adults in the development of technologies.