Multi-Faceted Evaluation of the Digital Silver Hub to Validate its Platform Requirements

Abstract

The silver economy is heavily reliant on technical advancements and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) due to the changing demographics and increases in the older population. There have been quite a lot of initiatives by several public and private bodies to tackle the challenges of the silver economy by involving technological innovations and digital frameworks. One such initiative is the Digital Silver Hub (DSH) by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region (BSR) OSIRIS Project, which serves as an ecosystem to develop and accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions to the challenges encountered by the ageing population so they may lead an active and independent life. It involves transnational functionalities that enable collaboration, co-creation and knowledge diffusion amongst the BSR. The DSH connects companies and research institutes to develop new innovative solutions to the challenges of ageing while promoting end-user engagement. However, it is imperative to ensure that the DSH functionalities are effective and useful and also sufficient for the users to develop innovative solutions. In this paper, the DSH is evaluated based on its usability and the effectiveness of its functionalities as well as ease of use and user perception to validate that the platform requirements match with the derived results. We use dimensions of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM2); “Perceived Usefulness”, “Perceived Ease of Use”, and “Attitude Towards Using” the technology along with dimensions of generic Collective Intelligence (CI) framework; staffing, processes, goals and motivation to evaluate the DSH. The outcomes of the research are aimed to help develop and evaluate similar platforms meant for the silver economy.