STS-inspired design to meet the challenges of modern ageing. Welfare technology as a tool to promote user driven innovations or another way to keep older users hostage?
Östlund, Britt LU ; Olander, Elin LU ; Jonsson, Oskar LU
and Frennert, Susanne
LU
(2015)
In Technological Forecasting & Social Change
93.
p.82-90
- Abstract
- Abstract
Older technology users and their integration into IT society have been on the research agenda since digitalization took off. Given the attempts to develop user-driven design, it is surprising that the appearance of technologies older people are provided with, or are the target group for, have not progressed. Now another political agenda, coined as “welfare technology”, is being launched in Scandinavia. It is the reminiscent of previous arguments for why demographics, welfare and the need for new business arenas should be prioritized. This paper argues that STS-inspired design can contribute to a paradigm shift that breaks this trend and instead helps to develop proactive technology that meets the needs and demands of... (More) - Abstract
Older technology users and their integration into IT society have been on the research agenda since digitalization took off. Given the attempts to develop user-driven design, it is surprising that the appearance of technologies older people are provided with, or are the target group for, have not progressed. Now another political agenda, coined as “welfare technology”, is being launched in Scandinavia. It is the reminiscent of previous arguments for why demographics, welfare and the need for new business arenas should be prioritized. This paper argues that STS-inspired design can contribute to a paradigm shift that breaks this trend and instead helps to develop proactive technology that meets the needs and demands of today's senior citizens. Two cases illustrate the way the imbalance between technology and older people's influence persists over time. Another three cases with a bearing on design sciences are singled out and discussed: the selection of older subjects; the understanding of the “social” in going from the laboratory to real-life settings; and the “making of meaning” in product development. The conclusions point to the opportunity to bridge the imbalance when introducing welfare technology by introducing STS-inspired reflections on engineering and design. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5051153
- author
- Östlund, Britt
LU
; Olander, Elin
LU
; Jonsson, Oskar
LU
and Frennert, Susanne
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2015
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Technological Forecasting & Social Change
- volume
- 93
- pages
- 82 - 90
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000351965000008
- scopus:84924851516
- ISSN
- 0040-1625
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.techfore.2014.04.012
- project
- Development of the Swedish Wood and Furniture Industry for Consumer Oriented and Competitive PLUS-products
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 940dff7c-630b-4a5a-8f9a-a5b1cf8b9d6b (old id 5051153)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:52:42
- date last changed
- 2022-04-28 02:07:56
@article{940dff7c-630b-4a5a-8f9a-a5b1cf8b9d6b,
abstract = {{Abstract<br/><br>
Older technology users and their integration into IT society have been on the research agenda since digitalization took off. Given the attempts to develop user-driven design, it is surprising that the appearance of technologies older people are provided with, or are the target group for, have not progressed. Now another political agenda, coined as “welfare technology”, is being launched in Scandinavia. It is the reminiscent of previous arguments for why demographics, welfare and the need for new business arenas should be prioritized. This paper argues that STS-inspired design can contribute to a paradigm shift that breaks this trend and instead helps to develop proactive technology that meets the needs and demands of today's senior citizens. Two cases illustrate the way the imbalance between technology and older people's influence persists over time. Another three cases with a bearing on design sciences are singled out and discussed: the selection of older subjects; the understanding of the “social” in going from the laboratory to real-life settings; and the “making of meaning” in product development. The conclusions point to the opportunity to bridge the imbalance when introducing welfare technology by introducing STS-inspired reflections on engineering and design.}},
author = {{Östlund, Britt and Olander, Elin and Jonsson, Oskar and Frennert, Susanne}},
issn = {{0040-1625}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{82--90}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Technological Forecasting & Social Change}},
title = {{STS-inspired design to meet the challenges of modern ageing. Welfare technology as a tool to promote user driven innovations or another way to keep older users hostage?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2014.04.012}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.techfore.2014.04.012}},
volume = {{93}},
year = {{2015}},
}