ASSISTING PLAYFUL
COMMUNICATIONS FOR SENIORS TO PROMOTE INCLUSION IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Presenter(s)
Guy Dewsbury
Computing Department, Lancaster University
Infolab 21,
Tel: 001-44-7752-892735
Email: g.dewsbury@lancaster.ac.uk
Website:
www.smartthinking.ukideas.com
INTRODUCTION
An increasing concern with modern society is that the rise in technology has
empowered and supported those people who have been able to take advantage of
the available technologies, whilst leaving the remainder technologically
alienated and isolated (See Richard Adler -
http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=6694). One
group for whom this is certainly a
possibility is older adults. This paper reports on the work being undertaken at
Computing Department at
THE PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The Department of Computing is renowned for having a multidisciplinary staff
membership consisting of computer experts and social scientists. This
multidisciplinary mix has proven extremely successful in a number of software
developments and has recently been focused on developing assistive technology and
‘smart homes’ for senior and disabled people as well as CATCH- a Compendium of
Assistive Technology Checklists for the Home, for professionals to determine
technology requirements for supporting independence in the home
(www.smartthinking.ukideas.com/CATCH.html).
The
social component of the team was sent to undertake ethnographic field studies
with seniors in their own homes. A number of new methods were piloted and
adapted to achieve this task.
The
social scientists’ have worked with a many older adults throughout the
Many
participants explained this isolation was due to family and friends not
visiting or having passed away. Many of the older adults found that at weekends
they could be alone all weekend. On further investigation expanded such
that some older people could spend up to a week without seeing another person
socially. Many participants had circumnavigated this by employing people to
come in to their homes and clean or do other jobs, which provides some level of
company at a price, but many were still chronically lonely.
DERIVING OUR SOLUTION
There was no obvious technology solution to preventing or alleviating
isolation. Over many months of work with the older participants, it was agreed
that some form of computer system that would illustrate when people were
available to be contacted was required. The system should show who was on the network
but there should be no obligation on the user to make contact if they did not
want to.
Similarly
we found in the fieldwork that many seniors were reluctant to make contact even
with neighbors as they did not wish to cause bother them and did not wish for
visitors themselves as this meant a lot of preparation beforehand. Communications,
therefore, had to be informal, and not require the users to enter into more disclosure
than they were happy to. For this reason cameras were ruled out as the seniors
did not want to be seen by others although they would like to see the other
people themselves.
THE SOLUTION
Further discussions provide the final details such that a ‘slate tablet’
computer was considered to be the best solution as it proves to be light,
portable, requiring no additional buttons/keyboards and a has screen large
enough for the participants to see the program properly. As traditional
software is not overly user friendly it was decided that the Tablet would have
its own software platform to sit on top of Windows XP, which would use the core
features of Windows without allowing the users to interact with them.
The
platform would enable almost immediate synchronous communication between the
parties on the network. The software platform was developed to have a welcome
screen called the Chooser, which showed who was logged on to the networked
system and allowed users to post pictures and comments of themselves to entice
communications with other users.
The
Chooser also has a series of task buttons (the amount dependant on what
programs are loaded). If a person wishes to instigate ‘chatting’ with another
user they are required to click on the person’s active area and click on the
‘CHAT’ button using a pen-like stylus. This sends a message to the chosen party
inviting them for a chat and giving them the option of accepting or rejecting
the chat invitation. It also has a ‘time-out’ option for when the user is not actually
available or does not respond in a timely fashion, so the user is not kept
hanging on indefinitely waiting for a reply. If the chat is accepted then
the two parties are able to write and draw whilst the other person can view and
interact with the writing and drawing.
ADDING GAMES
There are many other applications that we are developing for the platform
including email / Internet access and photograph sharing options, but I turn to
consider the development of a games application.
As an icebreaker and a common shared experience games can support a means of
obviating isolation.
It is not required that one needs to know or like a person to play a virtual
game with them and get enormous pleasure from doing so. Through consultations
with the seniors in our participant’s group we were able to isolate some common
elements of a potential game. The seniors enjoyed the connectivity of the
Tablet computers and the synchronous writing and drawing functions. Whilst
waiting for the other user with whom they are communicating to respond to a
message the seniors would try to second guess what was about to be written or
drawn. They contest the need to be pinned down to the rules of certain games,
yet wanted to play cards with each other. There also proved to be little
commonality between their knowledge of games and rules. They also wanted to
chat with each other informally, sharing stories
and discussing news. We therefore used Skype (www.skype.com) to enable multiple
voice transfers across the network.
The
user is automatically logged into their Skype account which identifies them to other
users and other computers on the network. The Tablet's have built in
microphones and internal speakers although it is envisaged alternative
input/output devices will be required.
The
games platform allows the users to play any card game that they wish as it has
no rules embedded in the software, it therefore requires the seniors to discuss
and decide on the appropriate rules. Should confusions or accusations of
incorrect play be voiced, it is down to the seniors to settle the dispute themselves
and decide the appropriate way to play.
CONCLUSION
It is difficult to draw firm conclusions at this time, although we know the
system works and that older people in the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This work was partially funded in the
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