Developing practice standards for engaging people living with dementia in product design, testing, and commercialization – a case study

Abstract

ABSTRACT To successfully create assistive technologies for persons with dementia, product developers must understand the capacity of people with dementia to use these technologies. Capacity assessment is typically done through user experience research. However, the published literature is bereft of guidelines to conduct optimal user experience research in samples of persons with dementia. We recruited persons with dementia from community-based organizations and private partners to participate in user experience research for an assistive technology platform. After a testing session, we used semi-structured interviews to ask participants about their involvement in the user experience process. We employed an inductive thematic approach to analyze the interview transcripts and draft guidelines to meaningfully engage persons with dementia in user experience research in the future. Ten participants with mild to moderate dementia (6 females, 4 males) participated in the study. Nine participants had previous experience with mobile devices. Thematic analysis yielded three overarching themes: 1) the techniques, approaches and attributes of the interviewer; 2) participants’ views on being part of the user experience research process; and 3) specific items to optimize the research process. Resulting guidelines were divided into recommendations for the interviewer specifically, and for the broader research process.