Study of the Usability of an Adaptive Smart Home Interface for People with Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Research on information technologies has seen in the last 20 years a very fast growth showing an increase of attention to the development of solution able to satisfy people with different characteristics and needs. Today, one of the main research topics aims at the definition of technologies and tools to support elderly people independent living. In this context, the present paper proposes a new home automation system able to support people with the early-stage dementia in kitchen management. This system is managed through an adaptive interface, which guides the user in kitchen activities, provides information on the functioning of all devices in the kitchen specifically, allows to set and control all household appliances in a simple and intuitive way and gives information, adapting to the end-user’s capabilities and needs. Although this preliminary evaluation only included a small number of participants, the results showed that the introduction of a new smart home system can be useful to individuals suffering early-stage dementia to facilitate independent living and remain longer in their own homes.