A human-centered design of a connected health system for older adults

Abstract

The work outlined in this thesis explores the design of Connected Health devices, analyses the user characteristics of older adults and suggests a design methodology which was then applied to the design of two elements within a Connected Health system. The details of the application of the methodology are described and the effect of its application on the usability, human factors and user experience of the Connected Health system are analysed and discussed. The measured outcomes show that the methodology had a positive effect on the user experience of the tested devices within the system, indicating that taking a Human-Centered Design approach when designing home health devices, particularly for older adults, can be beneficial and can increase the likelihood of technology acceptance. This acceptance could lead to the more efficient and effective delivery of healthcare within the Connected Health domain, thereby easing the burden on more traditional healthcare delivery vectors.