Affiliations: [a] Coventry University, UK | [b] Advanced Digital Institute, West Yorkshire, UK
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Gillian Ward, Principal Lecturer in Assistive Technology, Centre for Technology Enabled Health Research, Coventry University, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Mile Lane, Coventry CV1 2NL, UK. Tel.: +44 024 776 54631; E-mail:g.ward@coventry.ac.uk
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: The United Kingdom is challenged in terms of how it
provides services for the growing number of older people and the associated
rise of those living with long term health conditions into old age.
Demographic and technological changes present a real opportunity for the
assisted living technology industry to develop new innovations to connect
and enable dispersed families to provide support to their loved ones within
a consumer marketplace. OBJECTIVE: Under the dallas i-Focus programme, the Advanced Digital
Institute, with partner Coventry University, developed the Warm
Neighbourhoods® AroundMe™ service to
help people live at home and enable friends and family to support them using existing
connected home sensor technologies to detect usual daily routines. METHOD: A new, consumer-focussed assistive technology service was
designed through co-creation. The service was piloted over 3 months within
12 personal ``neighbourhoods'' using a Living Lab methodology. RESULTS: Results were overwhelmingly positive. Participants easily
saw the AroundMe™ service as a consumer offering. Participants
found the service reassuring and unobtrusive whilst promoting independence
of the main user and providing support for carers. CONCLUSIONS: It became apparent that a unique selling point of the
new service was that it was distinguishable from other existing message and
emergency response type services to focus on wellbeing and ``I'm okay''
information as opposed to ``I need help''. Within a consumer market it seems
that people are willing to pay for peace of mind and reassurance. Success of
the pilot service was due to the application of established service design
principles to make the service effective and desirable and testing within a
Living Lab to develop a simple service that fits technology into the daily
lives of families.
Keywords: Assistive technology, co-creation, living labs, user engagement, service design
