Informing design through sociocultural values: Co-creation with low-income african-american older adults

Abstract

Researchers in HCI and health informatics are often tasked with identifying criteria and content for health technologies based on user demographics, medical conditions, and context of system use. Little work has examined the intersectionality of sociocultural factors (age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status) and whether these factors influence health technologies as a viable or appropriate solution for certain populations based on their perceptions of health. Our work focuses on developing a better understanding of the health-related perceptions and behaviors of low-income African American older adults, as this population often sees a higher incidence of chronic illnesses and disease. Our approach builds off of semi-structured interviews as a way of informing a series of co-creation workshops, which aim to identify this population’s concepts of healthy aging and the role of technology in health maintenance.1