Design of a Digital Solution to Motivate Older Adults to Follow Cognitive and Physical Training for an Active and Healthy Ageing
Valentina Guadagno (Student TU Delft)
Ana Isabel Martins (University of Aveiro)
Christina Schneegass (TU Delft - Perceptual Intelligence)
Tilman Dingler (TU Delft - Knowledge and Intelligence Design)
Joana Pais (Universidade do Porto)
Nelson P. Rocha (University of Aveiro)
Jos Kraal (TU Delft - Human Factors)
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Abstract
Active and healthy ageing depends on maintaining physical and cognitive activity, but it is still challenging to motivate older adults to participate in regular training. This paper describes the iterative design and evaluation of a digital platform for increasing older adults' motivation to perform physical and cognitive exercises. The digital solution was designed and evaluated in four iterations with a total of 13 older adults. The first stage focused on identifying effective communication methods, including different formats of instructional delivery and feedback, as well as tone. The second stage explored the combination of physical activity with cognitively stimulating activities, such as brain games, sport, and hobbies, to find the most motivating combinations. The final stage developed the prototype further by integrating motivational elements into one coherent design, emphasizing clarity, guidance, and user agency. The final evaluation reviewed the overall design, including the importance of adaptive systems that dynamically adjust the difficulty level to align with users' physical and cognitive abilities to increase motivation. This study contributes to the growing field of participatory design within digital health interventions, aligning with best practices that emphasize the need for dynamic user involvement in all stages of development.
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