Abstract
The 'Adjust Tech, Accessible Technology' (ATAT) project (2020) aims to understand via citizen science what basic adjustments are required by older adults; to access and use affordable technologies and software - such as mobile apps.
Facilitating this multi-and-inter-disciplinary team of researchers from the fields of gerontology, gerontechnology, and human computer interaction (HCI), the research team are employing citizen science across three stages: 1. Co-creation, 2. Co-design and 3. Co-evaluation. Implementing this approach by adults aged 50+ years who are geographically displaced from their family, friends, community groups and networks, we will garner greater understanding of the use, benefits, perceptions, and levels of engagement experienced from both a positive and negative perspective by older adults. Several virtual workshops were conducted with end-users recruited via Digital Voice for Communities (based in the Northeast of England) and Digital Communities Wales.
Future workshops will involve demonstrations of existing software available, and prospective prototypes will be shown by paper-based or digital formats. This chapter will contribute to the call because of the methods and approaches ATAT is implementing, through the lens of older adults who have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter will provide an insight and a basis for future research teams choosing to engage stakeholders actively and directly into their research.
The 'Adjust Tech, Accessible Technology' (ATAT) project aims to understand via citizen science what basic adjustments are required by older adults; to access and use affordable technologies and software - such as mobile apps. Facilitating this multi-and-inter-disciplinary team of researchers from the fields of gerontology, gerontechnology, and human computer interaction (HCI), the research team are employing citizen science across three stages: Co-creation, Co-design and Co-evaluation. This chapter describes the research design and findings from the study ATAT and contributes to the fields of gerontology, social sciences, gerontechnology, health psychology, HCI, and research methods. It provides case exemplars to illustrate findings from the ATAT project. Fostering a positive relationship with stakeholders is one of the critical factors to employing participatory approaches, and, embedding early engagement, coupled with direct involvement from project partners and older co-designers themselves in the context of technology.