Designing Home Appliances for Older Adults

Abstract

Although computing technology has made inroads into home environments, it has yet to instigate a major shift in the design of homes or home activities. We posit that the next revolution of technology in the home will arise from technologies aimed at helping older adults maintain their independence and quality of life while helping avoid a transition to a more expensive, institutional setting. In this article, we describe three of our research projects that each tackle a different dimension to “aging in place.” In our work with the “Digital Family Portrait,” we examine the need for awareness between extended family members especially when family members are separated by great physical distance. In the “Cook's Collage,” we investigate the use of activity snapshots to aid a person in resuming an interrupted task. And finally in “Dude's Magic Box,” we explore ways to help grandchildren and grandparents communicate when face-to-face visits are rare.