Case study in developing technology for the elderly
"So often, systems engineers design products for themselves or their mates. Theatre offers an opportunity to bridge the gap between designer and end-user."
Professor Alan Newell
Asked about their own technology needs, elderly people tend to just agree with the researcher, fear the unknown or become suspicious of a Big Brother-style conspiracy.
To overcome these barriers, the University of Dundee has developed a pioneering technique to inform product development, using live theatre.
With professional actors, writers and theatre directors, the School of Computing stages mini plays to provoke discussion between engineers and those for whom the technology is being designed.
"Older people can face immense problems with systems designed supposedly on their behalf. But they can't tell you what they do need if they can't envisage what's possible. The use of theatre brings issues to life," says Professor Alan Newell.
The School is the only one in the country with its own fully-equipped studio theatre (funded by the Wolfson Trust) and a professional director/writer Maggie Morgan, who has been Leverhulme Artist-in-Residence in the School.
An extension of Professor Newell's longstanding interdisciplinary approach, the project is helping his researchers to ensure their new technologies satisfy real human needs.
Professor Newell says: "The key to effective interdisciplinary research is to respect everyone's viewpoint, even though they may come from a different angle. Not only is our research more thorough as a result, but we find avenues of opportunity that we weren't even seeking."
The School's work on a predictive word processor for people with limited manual dexterity was further expanded, for example, after a special education teacher working with the team spotted its potential to help children with dyslexia. This led to further research, which was a forerunner for predictive texting on mobile phones.
Theatre has been used as a research tool on a range of projects, including development of a monitoring system to detect when an elderly person has fallen in their home.
"Engineers were assuming the detector would only need to work in the light. But elderly people told us they don't turn on the light when they go to the loo at night, and that's when they might fall. Without theatre, it would have much more difficult to tease out that kind of information," says Professor Newell.
A series of short videos highlighting some of the challenges elderly people have with technology is available on the School's website, to disseminate learning.
Professor Newell adds: "So often, systems engineers design products for themselves or their mates. Theatre offers an opportunity to bridge the gap between designer and end-user. I'm confident that it will result in the design of many products, which successfully meet people's real needs."
See Also
Learn more about Interdisciplinary collaboration
Related website:
University of Dundee, School of Computing
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