Understanding and Co-designing Photo-based Reminiscence with Older Adults

TL;DR

This paper explores how older adults use and envision photo-based reminiscence technologies, providing empirical insights and design recommendations to enhance accessibility and empowerment in their daily lives.

Contribution

It offers an in-depth empirical study of older adults' use and co-design perspectives on photo-based reminiscence technologies, addressing a gap in understanding practical applications.

Findings

Older adults actively use digital photos for reminiscence.

Co-design sessions reveal preferences for accessible reminiscence tools.

Design implications improve future reminiscence technology accessibility.

Abstract

Reminiscence, the act of revisiting past memories, is crucial for self-reflection and social interaction, significantly enhancing psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and self-identity among older adults. In HCI and CSCW, there is growing interest in leveraging technology to support reminiscence for older adults. However, understanding how older adults actively use technologies for realistic and practical reminiscence in their daily lives remains limited. This paper addresses this gap by providing an in-depth, empirical understanding of technology-mediated, photo-based reminiscence among older adults. Through a two-part study involving 20 older adults, we conducted semi-structured interviews and co-design sessions to explore their use and vision of digital technologies for photo-based reminiscence activities. Based on these insights, we propose design implications to make future reminiscence technologies more accessible and empowering for older adults.