1. Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures
  2. School of Languages, Cultures and Societies
  3. Research and innovation
  4. Research projects
  5. Co-designing methods with older people to understand the role of digital technologies in social isolation

Research project

Co-designing methods with older people to understand the role of digital technologies in social isolation

  • Start date: 1 December 2018
  • End date: 31 August 2019
  • Funder: EPSRC
  • Primary investigator: Dr Elisabetta Adami
  • External co-investigators: Dr Kate Farley, Dr Tang Tang
  • Postgraduate students: Chun Liu, Felix Dartey

Value

£5,000

Description

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

The project involves older people in the co-design of innovative methods for understanding the role of digital technologies in mediating older people’s lives in contexts of social isolation, with the aim of producing tailored research questions and suitable methods that can inform a large scale investigation on digital technologies in older people’s social isolation, with possible applications for improved user-driven design of digital technologies.

Impact

The project will provide RQs and methods and tested collaboration for a planned future piece of research. In the longer term, there is potential for improvements in levels of social isolation, driven by research into how design can support sustainable communities and reduce inequalities (through a second round ESPRC application). The improved health and wellbeing of socially-isolated older people in both high and middle income countries will contribute to the sustainable development goal of good health and well-being.