Collaborative Development of Outing Assistants for People with Dementia: A Case Study on a Co-design Approach

Abstract

People with dementia (PwD) have been conducting educational activities to live well with dementia. Appropriate CHI design is needed to support the lives of PwD. However, current prototypical systems are mostly designed for needs on the surface and do not approach hidden needs. To develop an system that PwD wants to use on a daily basis, we conducted a co-production practice with PwD focussing on outing their home. We collaborate with a group of early-onset dementia who wanted their opinions to be reflected in ICT. A participatory design workshop was undertaken to discuss the development of outing assistants. As a result, it was found that they did not want the system to be responsible for intervening in their disabilities, but to positively encourage their activities. To conduct a case study for outing assists, we focused on a person with dementia's activity to verify whether it contributes to her life. The system was implemented as a voice and visual interaction system, designed to encourage a positive relationship between the supporter and her. Our results indicate that the system design to support PwD should produce positive interaction and should be adapted to the individual context.