Public health resources for smart-home scenario development: A methodological approach

Abstract

Scenarios are used as tools in the development of smart home platforms and middleware for aging-in-place. In order to be effective, a set of scenarios that address all required functionalities are needed. The health condition of the majority of an aging population has been described by medical tools, such as WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health ICF and local health profiles. However, this has not yet been fully implemented in the development of smart-homes. In this study we develop a Public Health Methodology PHM in which we use public health resources for the generation of scenarios. Specific user characteristics are taken from the medical tools. Common daily user activities were supplied by research into common activities as practiced by Dutch end-users. A functional scenario is generated by combining the user characteristics and user activities with the product goal, the physical and non-physical environment, and the product to be developed. Using this method a set of 10 scenarios covered all requirements. The scenarios were used in virtual tests for the validation of smart-home platforms. PHM is a promising tool in the development of smart environments that are more easily adopted by aging populations.