Evidence based dementia personas: Human factors design for people living with dementia

Abstract

The complex needs of people with dementia can create challenges when designing care environments. A Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) approach to the design of dementia care environments was used to address this challenge, and support wellbeing and independence for system users. Four individual personas (Alison, Barry, Christine and David) and a couple persona (Chris and Sally) were developed to represent the needs of people living with dementia. The aim was to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise between stakeholders and improve understanding of the characteristics of system users. An evidence-based approach involved extracting information from design, dementia, and clinical literature. This was followed by an iterative persona development process and a validation exercise to review the concept, content and applications. This paper outlines the development process, describes each persona and discusses current and potential applications.