Ageism in Designing Digital Technologies for Older People
Author Information
Author(s): Ittay Mannheim, Eveline Wouters, Hanna Köttl, Leonieke Van Boekel, Rens Brankaert, Yvonne van Zaalen
Hypothesis
Negative discourses on aging and ageism influence the design of digital technologies for older persons.
Conclusion
The study found that ageism affects how older persons are involved in the design process of digital technologies.
Supporting Evidence
- The study identified various explicit and implicit manifestations of ageism in the design process.
- Outdated language and stereotypical categorizations were found in the design decisions.
- There is a gap between the ideal involvement of older persons and the actual practices observed.
Takeaway
When making technology for older people, it's important to listen to them, but sometimes people make decisions based on old ideas about aging.
Methodology
A scoping review was conducted, screening seven databases for studies on the design of digital technologies with older persons, and critical discourse analysis was used to analyze the findings.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in the design process due to ageist attitudes and outdated language.
Limitations
The findings are based on publications until January 2020, which may not reflect the most current practices.
Participant Demographics
Older persons involved in the design process of digital technologies.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website