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The Building Bridges Project: Involving Older Adults in the Design of a Communication Technology to Support Peer-to-Peer Social Engagement

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HCI and Usability for e-Inclusion (USAB 2009)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 5889))

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Abstract

There are a variety of factors that can lead to social isolation and loneliness in old age, including decline in physical and mental health, as well as change to social environment. The Building Bridges project explores how communication technology can help older adults remain socially connected. This paper will first provide an overview of a prototype communication system designed to support peer-to-peer group interaction. A description of the user-centered design process will be provided to demonstrate the importance of involving older adults at the earliest stages. The implications for designing new technology for older adults are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL) Centre, St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Joseph Wherton

  2. Intel Digital Health Group, Leixlip, Ireland

    David Prendergast

Authors
  1. Joseph Wherton
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  2. David Prendergast
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit HCI4MED, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation (IMI) Auenbruggerplatz 2/V, Medical University of Graz (MUG), 8036, Graz, Austria

    Andreas Holzinger

  2. Institut Integriert Studieren, University of Linz, Altenbergerstraße 49, 4040, Linz, Austria

    Klaus Miesenberger

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Wherton, J., Prendergast, D. (2009). The Building Bridges Project: Involving Older Adults in the Design of a Communication Technology to Support Peer-to-Peer Social Engagement. In: Holzinger, A., Miesenberger, K. (eds) HCI and Usability for e-Inclusion. USAB 2009. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5889. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10308-7_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10308-7_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-10307-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-10308-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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