Landscapes of cross-generational engagement

Lead Research Organisation: Newcastle University
Department Name: Computing Sciences

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
 
Description How can new technologies be used to promote older people's engagement with their physical and social environments and to encourage new forms of interaction with younger people and the wider community? We explored this question in two very different settings: a cloistered monastery, and a care home. These settings gave contrasting views of the experience of growing older. Having taken vows of enclosure, the nuns might seem to have turned away from the very engagement that interests us. But during our visits, the nuns explained that their prayers of intercession embody their commitment to community. In response, we built them the Prayer Companion, a device that gathers information from social networking and news sites to help keep their prayer pertinent. In the care home, we pursued a variety of 'design experiments' to explore the residents concerns including, a 'video window' on the world; events in which local artists and school children painted portraits and wrote poems with and about the inhabitants; and shared slide shows from the world wide web. Building on these experiments we developed the Photostroller, a device which allows the residents to influence the themes of a on demand Flickr slideshow. Not only did our designs directly benefit our participants, but they taught us a number of lessons: perhaps most importantly, that when designing technologies for the older old it is crucial to recognize their diverse social and spiritual concerns and values, and avoid viewing them solely through a lens of frailty and need.
These findings are reported in the following publications
Gaver, W.B., Blythe, M., Boucher, A., Jarvis, N., Bowers, J., and Wright, P. (2010) The Prayer Companion. Proceedings of ACM CHI 2010, Atlanta. pp.2055-2064. Nominated for Best Paper.

Blythe, M., Wright, P., Bowers, J, Boucher, A., Jarvis, N., Reynolds,P., Gaver, B. (2010) Age and experience: Ludic engagement in a residential care setting. Proceedings of ACM DIS Conference, Aarhus Denmark. pp. 161-170

Gaver.W., Boucher. A., Bowers, J., Blythe, M., Jarvis, N.,, Cameron, D., Kerridge, T., Wilkie, A., Phillips, R., Wright, P. (2011) The Photostroller: Supporting Diverse Care Home Residents in Engaging with the World. In Proceedings of ACM CHI'11, conference, May 2011, Vancouver

Wright, P. and McCarthy, J. (2010) Experience-centred design: Designers, users, and communities in Dialogue. Morgan Claypool. (Prayer Companion reported as one of three case studies).
McCarthy, J. and Wright , P. (2015) Taking [A]Part: The Politics and Aesthetics of Experience-Cetnred Design. MIT Press Jan.2015
Exploitation Route The technologies developed continue to be used in residential settings.

The key papers from this project have received 381 citations in Google Scholar.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections

URL http://www.newdynamics.group.shef.ac.uk/landscapes.html
 
Description Digital originals
Amount £74,000 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/I032088/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 10/2012 
End 09/2013
 
Description New approaches to banking for the older old
Amount £168,264 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/H042911/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2010 
End 01/2012
 
Description Sustainable assisted living technologies (SALT)
Amount £2,000,000 (GBP)
Funding ID RES/0375/7210 
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2011 
End 07/2014
 
Description UXCodes
Amount £143,249 (GBP)
Funding ID RES/0550/7293 
Organisation European Commission 
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 10/2011 
End 09/2013
 
Description The Prayer Companion 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Digital Planet, BBC World Service Programme Report

Email requests for further information and further media interest
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010
URL http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p008yptc#p00987t2
 
Description The trouble with these boiled sweets 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Exhibition at City Screen, Coney Street, York

Exhibition seen by all visitors to York's City Screen Cinema. Press Coverage. See below.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
URL http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/exhibitions/4840721.The_Trouble_With_These_Boiled_Sweets_City_Scr...
 
Description The trouble with these boiled sweets 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Exhibition at Oliver House Care Home, Bishophill Junior, York

Press coverage. See below
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
URL http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/exhibitions/4860523.The_Trouble_With_These_Boiled_Sweets_Exhibiti...
 
Description The trouble with those boiled sweets exhibition moves to Oliver House care home 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Exhibition at Oliver House Care Home

York Evening Press
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
URL http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/exhibitions/4860523.The_Trouble_With_These_Boiled_Sweets_Exhibiti...
 
Description The trouble with those boiled sweets, City Screen, York, until January 19 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Newspaper article reporting on Exhibition at City Screen, York until January 19th 2010

York Evening Press
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010
URL http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/exhibitions/4840721.The_Trouble_With_These_Boiled_Sweets_City_Scr...