Rießenberger, Katja Antonia
Refine
Document Type
- Article (1)
- Part of a Book (1)
- conference proceeding (article) (1)
Publication reviewed
- begutachtet (3)
Institute
Der technologische sowie der gesellschaftliche Wandel werfen zunehmend Fragen nach Beteiligung(smöglichkeiten) auf. Dies gilt insbesondere für Menschen in schwierigen oder besonders belastenden Lebenslagen. Mit Blick auf eine alternde Gesellschaft geht dieser Beitrag der Frage nach, in welcher Beziehung die Begrifflichkeiten Partizipation und Teilhabe ausgehend von der Gruppe der informell Pflegenden in Technikentwicklungskontexten stehen bzw. wie diese Gruppe an demokratischen sowie gesellschaftlichen Veränderungs- und Gestaltungsprozessen teilhaben und partizipieren kann. Dazu wird der Versuch unternommen, die Gruppe der informell Pflegenden zu kontextualisieren und erste Überlegungen zur (partizipativen) Technikentwicklung für und mit informell Pflegenden herauszuarbeiten. Darauf aufbauend erfolgt die Bearbeitung und Analyse der Reziprozität der Begrifflichkeiten sowie die Ableitung von Gelingensbedingungen und Hürden für soziale Teilhabe durch partizipative Technikentwicklung mit informell Pflegenden. Dies fließt in einen Vorschlag für ein Teilhabe-Partizipations-Modell zur Reflexion der übergeordneten Zusammenhänge ein.
Ageing and digitalization are two major developments of the 21st century. Particularly, smartphone ownership increased to about over 80 % globally. Meanwhile, smartphones also gained great popularity among older adults, nonetheless, many still show fear of contact. The multi-national project Easierphone aims at empowering older adults and other vulnerable persons to effectively use smartphones. A senior-friendly app, Easierphone, simplifies smartphones while replacing the common android interface with an easier-to-use one. In addition, the Easierphone app enables two smartphones to be connected remotely to facilitate virtual assistance. A participative design is applied to conduct tests with older adults in three different pilots, in three different countries. Semi-structured interviews, try-out of the app, individual follow-up discussions and co-creation workshops are conducted to collect data. The Easierphone app to date is received positively by potential end-users. Many of the diverse functionalities of the app could be improved with feedback from test participants. The development process is an iterative one, in between each pilot, to achieve best possible adjustments to the app. The preliminary results indicate that fear of contact still prevails, nonetheless. The simplified interface seems to provide a basis for older adults to use their smartphones with more confidence.
Age and gender in gerontechnology development: Emphasizing the need for an intersectional approach
(2023)
Background
The challenges of the digital divide emerge with new technologies being created to address the needs of the increasing older population. This divide is influenced by the social dimensions of age and gender, often resulting in impaired participation of the affected demographic groups. Gerontechnological designs in which inadequate attention is paid to gender and old age easily run the risk of reproducing gender-specific and age-specific stereotypes. An approach to counteracting the digital exclusion of technology users is the introduction of co-creative methods of participatory design (PD). As there are diverse challenges when putting these methods into practice regarding their claim to be more socially inclusive and democratizing technology development, it is necessary to investigate the effect that age and gender could play when considering PD in gerontechnology.
Objective
This article aims to shed light on the intersection of age and gender as dimensions of horizontal inequalities in gerontechnology development to support the further development of co-creation practices.
Conclusion
The PD approaches can be regarded as suitable methodologies to descript age and gender in technology development as long as they are enhanced by a critical awareness of gendered and ageist patterns in society and technology development. The intersectional approach can contribute to further understanding of how current gerontechnology development practices promote the reinforcement and challenging of dominant discourses on old age and gender.