Inclusive design of interactive wearable technology in physical activity

Older adults represent a heterogeneous group regarding their physical health, exercise habits and routines, and needs and interests for health monitoring for physical exercise. Across all ages, wearable devices based on collecting and processing health-related data from the user provoke a question of privacy and trust, with limited possibilities to promoting rehabilitation at home and respecting agency. Wearable devices are often used for short-term purposes, and the long-term engagement with applications remains a challenge across all ages.

Common functionalities in wearable technologies are instructions, self-monitoring behaviour and reminders, combined with customising features. Despite that technology available allows a diverse set of functions, such as goal setting, providing feedback, and gathering information about the motivation, these interactive features have been rarely implemented in the applications. There is a need to design inclusive interactive wearable technology that take into consideration older adults’ heterogeneity regarding their physical health, digital skills and individual motivation for physical exercise.

This project aims to co-design inclusive interactive wearable technologies for enhancing physical activity among older adults (aged 65 and over) to improve the long-term user engagement with wearable technologies over time. First, the project explores affordances in the use of wearable technologies for increasing physical activity among older adults. Second, the project applies participatory design methods for designing novel interaction modalities and feedback systems for increasing the long-term user engagement with a wearable technology that interacts with the user at every step. The technology helps the users to synchronize their steps with their heartbeat, which has been shown to positively impact heart function. Third, the project conducts a randomized interventional study in the everyday life of older adults to investigate the impacts of the newly designed interactive wearable technology at home on activity levels, quality of life and self-efficacy of older adults.

Research team:

Sanna Kuoppamäki, Assistant Professor, KTH
Seraina Dual, Assistant Professor, KTH
Aurora Rosato, PhD student, KTH
Fabian Hugert, Master student, KTH 
Jie Che, Master student, KTH

Collaborators:

Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH)
City of Stockholm (Stockholms Stad)

Funding:

Kamprad Family Foundation, 2024-2026