Designing for technology acceptance of wearable and mobile technologies for senior citizen users

Technology offers many opportunities and advantages; however, the acceptance of these beneficial technologies is not universal among the population. In particular, it has been found that technology acceptance, and thus technology adoption, is relatively low among older adults as compared to younger adults, even though usage of digital products and services may vary widely from individual to individual. There is still an important population of older adults who could benefit from modern wearable sensing and monitoring technology, but who, at present, encounter barriers preventing them from taking full advantage of this potential. This paper discusses a case study in which 44 community-dwelling seniors tested a wearable activity tracker for a period of three months. Researchers took a critical theoretical reflection on factors of technology acceptance to identify barriers of technology acceptance by analysing quotes and observations collected from participants in biweekly workshops and cultural probes. By identifying observed barriers, this paper aims to formulate a set of participatory design (PD) strategies to address technology acceptance among senior citizens in order to inform future wearable and mobile technology development for senior citizens.