How Older Adults Make Decisions Regarding Smart Technology: An Ethnographic Approach

Comparatively little research has been conducted regarding the smart technology needs of the older adult population despite the proliferation of smart technology prototypes. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived smart technology needs of older adults with mobility impairments while using an ethnographic research approach to construct a preliminary decision tree model of how these smart technology decisions are made. In-depth individual interviews with 11 older adults aged 65 and older with mobility impairments provided insight into how older adults perceived smart technology. Audio-taped interviews were transcribed verbatim, then analyzed for key phrases that represented participant decision criteria. Decision criteria concepts were combined to construct an older adult smart technology decision tree model. The model consisted of a preliminary decision stage that participants engaged in to make the decision of whether a change was needed in their current pattern of behavior; followed by an evaluation stage that included five potential barriers (i.e., not easy to use/learn) and seven potential facilitators (i.e., decreasing imposition on family/friends) to the smart technology need decision process. Future designers could use this decision model to create appropriately matched technological devices to promote independence of aging baby boomers with mobility impairments.