Supporting Physical Activity in Later Life: Perspectives from Older Adults
Muhe Yang · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22) · doi:10.1145/3517428.3550411
Summary
This doctoral consortium paper presents a research plan to investigate how behaviour change technology can be better designed to support physical activity among older adults living alone, with a specific focus on walking. The author identifies a core problem: existing health behaviour change technologies are poorly aligned with older adults' needs, leading to low adoption and ineffectiveness. Three interrelated causes are identified: older adults have been generally overlooked in persuasive technology research and seldom involved in design and evaluation; a technology-driven approach prevails where researchers decide a priori what technology to deploy rather than first understanding user needs; and behaviour change technology is inherently complex to design, with intertwined elements (strategies, features, context of use) whose roles in effectiveness remain unclear — characteristics of a "wicked problem." The proposed research follows a two-phase human-centred iterative design methodology. Phase 1 involves user needs exploration through diary studies and semi-structured interviews with 15-20 inactive older adults aged 65+ living alone, followed by co-design workshops to brainstorm and prototype solutions, and feedback sessions on high-fidelity prototypes. Phase 2 plans a longitudinal deployment study evaluating the designed system across behaviour change, attitude change, usability, and user experience. Notably, the study deliberately includes participants with intermediate or lower digital technology proficiency, counteracting the common bias toward tech-savvy participants.
Key findings
As a research proposal, the paper's primary contributions are analytical rather than empirical. The author's literature review reveals that in prior persuasive technology studies, older adults were not only less frequently targeted as a population but were also seldom involved in the design and evaluation of technologies meant for them — a gap especially pronounced for those living alone. The paper identifies that older adults only adopt technology when they perceive it as genuinely useful, yet most behaviour change technologies are designed around specific strategies or features rather than actual user needs. The research design itself contains several noteworthy methodological decisions: using printed diary booklets rather than digital tools to accommodate varying technology proficiency; conducting all research in person to avoid excluding participants intimidated by remote technology; deliberately recruiting participants with lower technology proficiency who are typically excluded from studies; and using paper-based sketching in co-design workshops to enable expression beyond verbal communication. The framing of behaviour change technology design as a wicked problem — where the solution depends on how the problem is formulated — provides a useful theoretical lens for understanding why so many health technologies fail older adults.
Relevance
This research highlights a critical gap in accessible technology design: the systematic exclusion of older adults, particularly those living alone and with lower technology proficiency, from both the research on and design of technologies intended to serve them. For accessibility practitioners, the paper reinforces that technology adoption barriers for older adults are primarily about misaligned design rather than inherent resistance to technology. The human-centred methodology — with its emphasis on understanding needs before proposing solutions, including lower-tech-proficiency users, and remaining open to non-digital solutions — offers a model for inclusive design processes. The focus on older adults living alone is particularly timely given population ageing trends and the increased social isolation observed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was in early stages at time of publication, with ethics approval submitted and data collection not yet begun.
Tags: aging · older adults · physical activity · behaviour change technology · persuasive technology · co-design · human-centred design · digital divide