ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4634-0532
Current Organisation
University of Melbourne
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Information Systems | Computer-Human Interaction | Virtual Reality and Related Simulation | Aged Health Care
Ageing and Older People | Information and Communication Services not elsewhere classified |
Publisher: ACM
Date: 04-12-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-09-2010
Publisher: ACM
Date: 04-12-2018
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Date: 24-02-2016
DOI: 10.1145/2886011
Abstract: Community + Culture features practitioner perspectives on designing technologies for and with communities. We highlight compelling projects and provocative points of view that speak to both community technology practice and the interaction design field as a whole. --- Christopher A. Le Dantec, Editor
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-10-2019
Publisher: ACM
Date: 04-12-2018
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 18-04-2019
Publisher: ACM
Date: 26-04-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2003
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-2019
DOI: 10.1093/GERONI/IGZ038.1121
Abstract: A large body of research demonstrates the positive impact that reminiscence activities can have on older adult wellbeing. Within this space, researchers have begun to explore how virtual reality (VR) technology might be used as a reminiscence tool. The immersive characteristics of VR could aid reminiscence by giving the sense of being fully present in a virtual environment that evokes the time being explored in the reminiscence session. However, to date, research into the use of VR as a reminiscence tool has overwhelmingly focussed on static environments that can only be viewed by a single user. This paper reports on a first-of-its-kind research project that used social VR (multiple users co-present in a single virtual environment), and 3D representations of personal artifacts (such as, photographs and recorded anecdotes), to allow a group of older adults to reminisce about their school experiences. Sixteen older adults aged 70-81 participated in a four-month user study, meeting in groups with a facilitator in a social virtual world called the Highway of Life. Results demonstrate how the social experience, tailored environment, and personal artifacts that were features of the social VR environment allowed the older adults to collaboratively reminisce about their school days. We conclude by considering the benefits and challenges associated with using social VR as a reminiscence tool with older adults.
Publisher: ACM
Date: 19-04-2023
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 04-04-2018
Abstract: Despite sociological attempts to critically address an age-based digital ide, older adults (65+) continue to be portrayed in the academic literature and public discourse as a homogeneous group characterised by technophobia, digital illiteracy, and technology non-use. Additionally, the role of socioeconomic factors and personal contexts in later life are often overlooked in studies on technology adoption and use. For ex le, older adults who are identified as least likely to use technology (frail, care-dependent, low socioeconomic/educational backgrounds) are typically described as a uniform cluster. Yet, research on digital technology use with this group remains scant – so what can we learn from studying technology adoption among them? This article discusses long-term deployment of new communication technologies with such a group of older adults, shedding light on the dynamics of technology adoption and contexts of use/non-use. It is based on a case study approach and a cross-cultural perspective, using Canadian and Australian mixed-methods research from two projects that included interviews, psychometric scales, and field observations. We present cases from these projects and contest the simplistic notion of an age-based digital ide, by drawing on Strong Structuration Theory to explore the interconnection of agency, structure, and context in the sociotechnical process of technology adoption and use/non-use among older adults.
Publisher: Ubiquity Press, Ltd.
Date: 22-12-2005
DOI: 10.5334/2005-25
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2015
Publisher: ACM Press
Date: 2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Date: 2019
Publisher: Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education
Date: 03-08-2014
DOI: 10.14742/AJET.690
Abstract: The use of Online Social Networking (OSN) educational activities has become commonplace in today’s higher education. OSN enables lecturers and students to generate and share content, interact, and collaborate in the knowledge construction process. The pedagogical benefits of social technologies have been widely discussed. However, less is known about the processes that lecturers follow when integrating social technologies into their teaching activities. With the aim of developing a practical guiding framework, this paper examines the processes that lecturers have followed when appropriating social technologies for learning purposes. Based on interviews with fourteen Australian lecturers and sixteen Malaysian lecturers who have used social technologies, different processes of appropriation are explored. Drawing on the empirical findings, this paper proposes a framework that can be used to guide lecturers in appropriating social technologies systematically. The framework will be beneficial for lecturers seeking guidance to support the appropriation of social technologies for structured and formal use in higher education. br /
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Date: 28-09-2023
DOI: 10.1145/3610032
Publisher: ACM
Date: 20-10-2016
Publisher: ACM
Date: 30-05-2018
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US
Date: 2016
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 12-04-2022
DOI: 10.2196/31162
Abstract: Digital technologies such as virtual reality (VR), humanoid robots, and digital companion pets have the potential to provide social and emotional enrichment for people living in aged care. However, there is currently limited knowledge about how technologies are being used to provide enrichment, what benefits they provide, and what challenges arise when deploying these technologies in aged care settings. This study aims to investigate how digital technologies are being used for social and emotional enrichment in the Australian aged care industry and identify the benefits and challenges of using technology for enrichment in aged care. A web-based survey (N=20) was distributed among people working in the Australian aged care sector. The survey collected information about the types of technologies being deployed and their perceived value. The survey was followed by semistructured interviews (N=12) with aged care workers and technology developers to investigate their experiences of deploying technologies with older adults living in aged care. Survey data were analyzed using summary descriptive statistics and categorizing open-ended text responses. Interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The survey revealed that a range of commercial technologies, such as VR, tablet devices, and mobile phones, are being used in aged care to support social activities and provide entertainment. Respondents had differing views about the value of emerging technologies, such as VR, social robots, and robot pets, but were more united in their views about the value of videoconferencing. Interviews revealed 4 types of technology-mediated enrichment experiences: enhancing social engagement, virtually leaving the care home, reconnecting with personal interests, and providing entertainment and distraction. Our analysis identified 5 barriers: resource constraints, the need to select appropriate devices and apps, client challenges, limited staff and organizational support, and family resistance. This study demonstrates that technologies can be used in aged care to create personally meaningful enrichment experiences for aged care clients. To maximize the effectiveness of technology-mediated enrichment, we argue that a person-centered care approach is crucial. Although enrichment experiences can be created using available technologies, they must be carefully selected and co-deployed with aged care clients. However, significant changes may be required within organizations to allow caregivers to facilitate in idual technology-based activities for enrichment.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 28-10-2014
Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to examine how pregnant women with type 1 diabetes integrate new information technology (IT) into their health management activities, using activity theory as an analytical framework. – The research is a multiple case design, based on interviews with 15 women with type 1 diabetes who were pregnant, considering pregnancy, or had recently given birth. A thematic analysis, sensitised by activity theory, was used to analyse the data. – Health management in this setting involves negotiations and contradictions across boundaries of interacting activities. Participants play an active role in managing their health and using new IT tools in particular ways to support their health management. Using new technologies creates both opportunities and challenges. IT-enabled healthcare devices and other information systems open up new treatment possibilities, but also generate new contradictions between interacting activity systems. – The research was conducted with a small s le in a specific context of health management. Further research is needed to extend the findings to other contexts. – Healthcare providers need to accommodate a bottom-up approach to the adoption and use of new technologies in settings where empowered patients play an active role in managing their health. – The findings highlight opportunities to further develop activity theory to accommodate the central role that in iduals play in resolving inherent contradictions and achieving alignment between multiple interacting activity systems when incorporating new IT tools into health management activities.
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Date: 2005
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Date: 08-07-2022
DOI: 10.1145/3516448
Abstract: As virtual environments—in the form of videogames and augmented and virtual reality experiences—become more popular, it is important to ensure that they are accessible to all. Previous research has identified echolocation as a useful interaction approach to enable people with visual impairment to access virtual environments. In this article, we further investigate the usefulness of echolocation to explore virtual environments. We follow a participatory design approach that comprised a focus group session coupled with two fast prototyping and evaluation iterations. During the focus group session, expert echolocators produced a series of seven design recommendations, of which we implemented and trialed four. Our trials revealed that the use of ambient sounds, the ability to place landmarks, directional control, and the ability to use pre-recorded mouth-clicks produced by expert echolocators improved the overall experience of our participants by facilitating the detection of openings and obstacles. The recommendations presented and evaluated in this article may help to develop virtual environments that support a broader range of users while recognising the value of the lived experience of people with disability as a source of knowledge.
Publisher: Association for Learning Technology
Date: 06-2002
Abstract: Lightweight, palmtop devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) can now be used for reading electronic text, opening up their potential as learning tools. This paper reports a study that evaluated the use of PDAs for reading course materials by students on an Open University master's course. The research is grounded in activity theory, which provides a useful framework for examining how the introduction of a new tool changes an existing activity. Student perceptions of the possibilities and constraints of the PDA, as determined by questionnaires and interviews, reveal the impact the new tool had upon reading. The PDA constrained reading with limitations such as the small screen size, new requirements for navigating through the text and awkward methods for taking notes. These conditions made it difficult for students to skim-read the text, to move back and forth within the document and to interact with the text as easily as they could with paper. Nevertheless, students welcomed the opportunity to have the course materials on a portable, lightweight device that could be used at any time and in any place. This made it easier to fit the reading activity around the various other activities in which students were involved In addition, the PDA was used in conjunction with existing tools, such as the printed version of the course materials and the desktop computer. Therefore, it was not seen to replace paper but rather to extend and complement it. The findings are discussed using concepts from activity theory to interpret how the new tool modified the reading activity.DOI:10.1080/0968776020100205
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-2005
Publisher: Inderscience Publishers
Date: 2006
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 11-06-2021
Abstract: igital technologies such as virtual reality (VR), humanoid robots, and digital companion pets have the potential to provide social and emotional enrichment for people living in aged care. However, there is currently limited knowledge about how technologies are being used to provide enrichment, what benefits they provide, and what challenges arise when deploying these technologies in aged care settings. his study aims to investigate how digital technologies are being used for social and emotional enrichment in the Australian aged care industry and identify the benefits and challenges of using technology for enrichment in aged care. web-based survey (N=20) was distributed among people working in the Australian aged care sector. The survey collected information about the types of technologies being deployed and their perceived value. The survey was followed by semistructured interviews (N=12) with aged care workers and technology developers to investigate their experiences of deploying technologies with older adults living in aged care. Survey data were analyzed using summary descriptive statistics and categorizing open-ended text responses. Interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. he survey revealed that a range of commercial technologies, such as VR, tablet devices, and mobile phones, are being used in aged care to support social activities and provide entertainment. Respondents had differing views about the value of emerging technologies, such as VR, social robots, and robot pets, but were more united in their views about the value of videoconferencing. Interviews revealed 4 types of technology-mediated enrichment experiences: enhancing social engagement, virtually leaving the care home, reconnecting with personal interests, and providing entertainment and distraction. Our analysis identified 5 barriers: resource constraints, the need to select appropriate devices and apps, client challenges, limited staff and organizational support, and family resistance. his study demonstrates that technologies can be used in aged care to create personally meaningful enrichment experiences for aged care clients. To maximize the effectiveness of technology-mediated enrichment, we argue that a person-centered care approach is crucial. Although enrichment experiences can be created using available technologies, they must be carefully selected and co-deployed with aged care clients. However, significant changes may be required within organizations to allow caregivers to facilitate in idual technology-based activities for enrichment.
Publisher: ACM
Date: 07-11-2005
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1002/ACP.1258
Publisher: ACM
Date: 02-12-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-02-2021
DOI: 10.1111/AJAG.12902
Abstract: Digital technologies can support reminiscence and lifestyle enrichment in residential aged care. This study explores potential benefits and risks of virtual visits using digital maps, tablet computers and virtual reality technologies. Reminiscence sessions were conducted with metropolitan aged care facility residents (n = 7), using digital mapping applications to ‘visit’ places of personal significance. Residents and family members (n = 4) were interviewed. Some older adults found virtual visits valuable and all reminisced in various ways about personal, family and social experiences. Family members felt that virtual visits would be enriching for loved ones and that they supported sharing of life stories. Our results also highlight that VR usability improvements are needed to better suit older people. Virtual visits could offer valuable opportunities for positive reminiscence for some older adults in residential aged care. Digital technologies need to provide better support for older users and people who assist them.
Publisher: ACM
Date: 19-04-2023
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 11-07-2022
Abstract: ockdowns have been used to prevent the spread of transmissible illnesses such as influenza, norovirus, and COVID-19 in care homes. However, lockdowns deny care home residents supplemental care and the socioemotional enrichment that comes from seeing family members. Video calling has the potential to enable ongoing contact between residents and family members during lockdowns. However, video calls can be considered by some as a poor substitute for in-person visits. It is important to understand family members’ experiences with video calling during lockdowns to ensure the effective use of this technology in the future. his study aimed to understand how family members use video calls to communicate with relatives living in aged care during lockdowns. We focused on experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which involved extensive lockdowns in aged care homes. e conducted semistructured interviews with 18 adults who had been using video calls with relatives living in aged care during pandemic lockdowns. The interviews focused on how participants had been using video calls, what benefits they gained from video-based interactions, and what challenges they encountered when using the technology. We analyzed the data using the 6-phase reflexive approach to thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke. e developed 4 themes through our analysis. Theme 1 interprets video calling as a medium for the continuation of care during lockdowns. Using video calls, family members were able to provide social enrichment for residents and engaged in health monitoring to uphold residents’ welfare. Theme 2 highlights how video calling extended care by supporting frequent contact, transmitting nonverbal cues that were essential for communication, and negating the need for face masks. Theme 3 interprets organizational issues such as the lack of technology and staff time as impediments to the continuation of familial care through video. Finally, theme 4 highlights the need for 2-way communication, interpreting residents’ unfamiliarity with video calling and their health conditions as further barriers to the continuation of care. his study suggests that, during restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, video calls became a medium for enabling family members to continue participating in the care of their relatives. The use of video calls to continue care illustrates their value for families during times of mandatory lockdown and supports the use of video to complement face-to-face visits at other times. However, better support is needed for video calling in aged care homes. This study also revealed a need for video calling systems that are designed for the aged care context.
Publisher: Association for Learning Technology
Date: 06-03-2012
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-08-2018
Publisher: Association for Learning Technology
Date: 03-02-2012
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-2015
Abstract: Visual research is a fast-growing interdisciplinary field. The flexibility and ersity of visual research methods are seen as strengths by their adherents, yet adoption of such approaches often requires researchers to negotiate complex ethical terrain. The digital technological explosion has also provided visual researchers with access to an increasingly erse array of visual methodologies and tools that, far from being ethically neutral, require careful deliberation and planning for use. To explore these issues, the Symposium on Exploring Ethical Frontiers of Visual Methods was held at the University of Melbourne, Australia, on 4 March 2014. The symposium was hosted by the Visual Research Collaboratory, a consortium of Australian and Canadian visual researchers, with support from Melbourne Social Equity Institute, University of Melbourne. The symposium represented the culmination of a process to develop a resource outlining principles of ethical practice for visual researchers and ethics committee members, the Guidelines for Ethical Visual Research Methods, which were launched at the event. The Guidelines present a framework for considering ethical matters in visual research, distinguishing six groups of issues united by an overarching theme: confidentiality minimizing harm consent fuzzy boundaries authorship and ownership and representation and audiences.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 24-08-2021
DOI: 10.1177/13607804211029298
Abstract: This article discusses sociotechnical challenges of technology-based interventions to address loneliness in later life. We bring together participatory and multidisciplinary research conducted in Canada and Australia to explore the limits of digital technologies to help tackle loneliness among frail older people (aged 65+). Drawing on three case studies, we focus on instances when technology-based interventions, such as communication apps, were limiting or failed, seeming to enhance rather than lessen loneliness. We also unpack instances where the technologies being considered did not match participants’ social needs and expectations, preventing adoption, use, and the intended outcomes. To better grasp the negative unintended consequences of these technological interventions, we combine a relational sociological approach to loneliness with the Strong Structuration Theory developed by sociologist Rob Stones. This combined lens highlights the connection between sociotechnical factors and their agentic and structural contexts, facilitating a rich understanding of why and when technologies fail and limit.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 12-06-2023
DOI: 10.2196/40953
Abstract: Lockdowns have been used to prevent the spread of transmissible illnesses such as influenza, norovirus, and COVID-19 in care homes. However, lockdowns deny care home residents supplemental care and the socioemotional enrichment that comes from seeing family members. Video calling has the potential to enable ongoing contact between residents and family members during lockdowns. However, video calls can be considered by some as a poor substitute for in-person visits. It is important to understand family members’ experiences with video calling during lockdowns to ensure the effective use of this technology in the future. This study aimed to understand how family members use video calls to communicate with relatives living in aged care during lockdowns. We focused on experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which involved extensive lockdowns in aged care homes. We conducted semistructured interviews with 18 adults who had been using video calls with relatives living in aged care during pandemic lockdowns. The interviews focused on how participants had been using video calls, what benefits they gained from video-based interactions, and what challenges they encountered when using the technology. We analyzed the data using the 6-phase reflexive approach to thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke. We developed 4 themes through our analysis. Theme 1 interprets video calling as a medium for the continuation of care during lockdowns. Using video calls, family members were able to provide social enrichment for residents and engaged in health monitoring to uphold residents’ welfare. Theme 2 highlights how video calling extended care by supporting frequent contact, transmitting nonverbal cues that were essential for communication, and negating the need for face masks. Theme 3 interprets organizational issues such as the lack of technology and staff time as impediments to the continuation of familial care through video. Finally, theme 4 highlights the need for 2-way communication, interpreting residents’ unfamiliarity with video calling and their health conditions as further barriers to the continuation of care. This study suggests that, during restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, video calls became a medium for enabling family members to continue participating in the care of their relatives. The use of video calls to continue care illustrates their value for families during times of mandatory lockdown and supports the use of video to complement face-to-face visits at other times. However, better support is needed for video calling in aged care homes. This study also revealed a need for video calling systems that are designed for the aged care context.
Publisher: ACM
Date: 27-04-2013
Publisher: ACM
Date: 22-06-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2020
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Date: 2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2010
Publisher: ACM
Date: 19-04-2023
Publisher: ACM
Date: 07-05-2016
Publisher: ACM
Date: 02-05-2019
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 02-02-2015
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to consider how ethical principles can inform the effective design and implementation of technology-based interventions that aim to promote the well-being of socially isolated older adults. We evaluated a new iPad application with small groups of older adults. In this article, we reflect on the ethical issues encountered at each stage of the research process. Drawing on the ethical principles of beneficence, research merit and integrity, justice, and respect, we identify key issues to consider in the future design and implementation of social isolation interventions that use new technologies. Key issues include (a) providing sufficient support to facilitate ongoing social interactions, (b) managing older adults’ expectations, (c) providing encouragement without coercion, and (d) responding to in idual needs. We conclude that it is important to report on ethical challenges incurred when evaluating social isolation interventions to inform future research in this important area.
Publisher: ACM
Date: 07-12-2015
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Date: 2019
Publisher: Springer US
Date: 1997
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-1997
Publisher: ACM
Date: 26-11-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
Publisher: ACM
Date: 02-05-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-06-2016
DOI: 10.1093/IWC/IWW025
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 21-03-2023
DOI: 10.2196/43197
Abstract: Many older adults now use technologies such as wearable devices and telehealth services to support their health and well-being while living independently at home. However, older adults vary in how they use these technologies, and there is a lack of knowledge regarding the motivations that influence their acceptance and use of health-related technologies in home environments. This study aimed to understand the types of technologies that older adults use to support their health and the factors that motivate them to use their chosen technologies to support their health. In addition, we aimed to understand the factors that enable the effective use of technologies for health self-management and to identify the barriers that can negatively affect the adoption of technologies. A total of 22 older adults participated in semistructured interviews regarding their experiences of using technologies for health self-management. Interview transcripts were analyzed through an in-depth thematic analysis. The interviews revealed that a range of technologies, such as videoconferencing software, fitness trackers, and other devices, were being used by older adults to support their health. Interviews showed that participants were motivated to use technologies to monitor health issues, to stay active and connected, and to record and change their behavior in the light of foreseen risks related to their future health status. Enablers that facilitated the effective use of technologies include social and organizational influence, convenient access to health care and safety provided by the technology, and easy setup and low cost of the technology. Barriers include information overload and a sense of futility about future health decline telehealth being an inadequate substitute for in-person consultation concerns about trust related to privacy and accuracy and technologies being stigmatizing, uncomfortable to use, expensive, and unfamiliar. This study suggested that older adults were using a variety of technologies to prevent or prepare for future health decline, evidencing a resilient attitude toward health and aging. In addition, older adults were willing to continue using the technology when there was a perceived need. The enabler mentioned by most participants was the social and organizational influence that included health care staff, family, friends, and organizations. This analysis provides a better understanding of how older adults use technologies to support their health and can guide the provision of appropriate health technologies for them.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Publisher: ACM
Date: 28-11-2017
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1007/11787952_4
Publisher: IEEE Comput. Soc
Date: 2002
Publisher: ACM
Date: 18-06-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/AJAG.12572
Abstract: There are growing concerns that social isolation presents risks to older people's health and well-being. Thus, the objective of the review was to explore how technology is currently being utilised to combat social isolation and increase social participation, hence improving social outcomes for older people. A systematic review of the literature was conducted across the social science and human-computer interaction databases. A total of 36 papers met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using a four-step process. Findings were threefold, suggesting that: (i) technologies principally utilised social network services and touch-screen technologies (ii) social outcomes are often ill-defined or not defined at all and (iii) methodologies used to evaluate interventions were often limited and small-scale. Results suggest a need for studies that examine new and innovative forms of technology, evaluated with rigorous methodologies, and drawing on clear definitions about how these technologies address social isolation articipation.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 03-10-2022
Abstract: any older adults now use technologies such as wearable devices and telehealth services to support their health and well-being while living independently at home. However, older adults vary in how they use these technologies, and there is a lack of knowledge regarding the motivations that influence their acceptance and use of health-related technologies in home environments. his study aimed to understand the types of technologies that older adults use to support their health and the factors that motivate them to use their chosen technologies to support their health. In addition, we aimed to understand the factors that enable the effective use of technologies for health self-management and to identify the barriers that can negatively affect the adoption of technologies. total of 22 older adults participated in semistructured interviews regarding their experiences of using technologies for health self-management. Interview transcripts were analyzed through an in-depth thematic analysis. he interviews revealed that a range of technologies, such as videoconferencing software, fitness trackers, and other devices, were being used by older adults to support their health. Interviews showed that participants were motivated to use technologies to monitor health issues, to stay active and connected, and to record and change their behavior in the light of foreseen risks related to their future health status. Enablers that facilitated the effective use of technologies include social and organizational influence, convenient access to health care and safety provided by the technology, and easy setup and low cost of the technology. Barriers include information overload and a sense of futility about future health decline telehealth being an inadequate substitute for in-person consultation concerns about trust related to privacy and accuracy and technologies being stigmatizing, uncomfortable to use, expensive, and unfamiliar. his study suggested that older adults were using a variety of technologies to prevent or prepare for future health decline, evidencing a resilient attitude toward health and aging. In addition, older adults were willing to continue using the technology when there was a perceived need. The enabler mentioned by most participants was the social and organizational influence that included health care staff, family, friends, and organizations. This analysis provides a better understanding of how older adults use technologies to support their health and can guide the provision of appropriate health technologies for them.
Publisher: ACM
Date: 29-11-2022
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Date: 07-11-2019
DOI: 10.1145/3359251
Abstract: A growing body of research is examining the way that virtual reality (VR) technology might enrich the lives of older adults. However, no studies have yet examined how this technology---combining head mounted displays, motion tracking, avatars, and virtual environments---might contribute to older adult wellbeing by facilitating greater social participation (social VR). To address this gap, we conducted three workshops in which 25 older adults aged 70 to 81 explored the utility of social VR as a medium for communicating with other older adults. Participants first created embodied avatars that were controlled through natural gestures, and subsequently used these avatars in two high-fidelity social VR prototypes. Findings from the workshops provide insight into older adults' design motivations when creating embodied avatars for social VR their acceptance of social VR as a communication tool and their views on how social VR might play a beneficial role in their lives. Outcomes from the workshops also illustrate the critical importance our participants placed onbehavioural anthropomorphism ---the embodied avatars' ability to speak, move, and act in a human-like manner--- alongsidetranslational factors, which encapsulate issues relating to the way physical movements are mapped to the embodied avatar and the way in which errors in these mappings may invoke ageing stereotypes. Findings demonstrate the critical role that these characteristics might play in the success of future social VR applications targeting older users. We translate our findings into a set of design considerations for developing social VR systems for older adults, and we reflect on how our participants' experiences can inform future research on social virtual reality.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-11-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-1998
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 12-2017
End Date: 12-2023
Amount: $736,932.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 05-2016
End Date: 12-2019
Amount: $340,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity