Technology, design and dementia: an exploratory survey of developers

Despite worldwide surges in dementia, we still know relatively little about the design of home technologies that support this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate design considerations from the perspective of developers.

Participants, including technical and clinical specialists, were recruited internationally and answered web-based survey questions comprising Likert-type responses with text entry options. Developers were queried on 23 technology acceptance characteristics and 24 design practices.

In all, forty developers completed the survey. Concerning "technology acceptance", cost, learnability, self-confidence (during use) and usability were deemed very important. Concerning "design practice", developers overwhelmingly valued user-centred design (UCD). In terms of general assistive technology (AT) models, these were largely unknown by technical specialists compared to clinical specialists.

Recommendations based on this study include incorporating "self-confidence" into design protocols; examining the implications of "usability" and UCD in this context; and considering empathy-based design approaches to suit a diverse user population. Moreover, clinical specialists have much to offer development teams, particularly concerning the use of conceptual AT models. Implications of rehabilitation Stipulate precise usability criteria. Consider "learnability" and "self-confidence" as technology adoption criteria. Recognize the important theoretical role that clinical specialists can fulfil concerning the use of design schemas. Acknowledge the diversity amongst users with dementia, potentially adopting techniques, such as designing for "extraordinary users".