Abstract
The elderly population in Norway is increasing in number, and there will be a greater need for health care services and care units. The introduction of welfare technology can aid facing this challenge in order to assist the elderly in keeping living independently at home. A smart home care unit in Oslo has implemented solutions such as sensors for lighting, safety alarms and a tablet for the residents. The tablet is considered as a welfare technological solution, and is the basis of our study. However, each apartment in the care unit is equipped with this tablet, examples of features are IP telephony and providing overview of the current activities and food menu in the care unit. Thus, it is not a stand-alone technology, but a part of the technology in the care unit, i.e. a part of the smart home. The introduction of the tablet proved to present some challenges, e.g. that the elderly find it difficult to use, they lack knowledge about what it can be used for, and some elderly do not wish to apply it. The goal of our study has been to design a solution that can contribute to motivate the elderly to apply the tablet, as well as assisting the ones who already use it. We have focused on exploring the challenges faced by the elderly residents regarding the use of the tablet in order to design a solution that can face these challenges. To do this, we have taken into account motivation and the diversity of the user group, and how these aspects affect the use of the technology. In addition, we have taken into account principles for universal design in the design decisions aiming at reaching as many as possible of the target user. Furthermore, we have been designing for and with the elderly. Thus, the elderly living at the care unit have been involved in the design process. Throughout the thesis we outline the elderly s needs, and how we could facilitate these needs through designing for a user experience among the elderly in a best possible way. Working within design anthropology we combine an exploratory study with design. Our contribution is a guidebook, both digital and paper-based, aiming at creating a sense of empowerment and mastery among the elderly.