Older Adults Using Technology for Meaningful Activities During COVID-19: An Analysis Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

Title of the Paper

Older Adults Using Technology for Meaningful Activities During COVID-19: An Analysis Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

Bibliographic Information

• Research Domain: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), technology use by older adults, psychological well-being
• Keywords: older adults, technology, meaningful activities, self-determination theory, COVID-19, digital engagement, social connection

Research Background and Problem

• Identified Issues:
  • COVID-19 restrictions significantly impacted older adults' ability to engage in meaningful activities, including social gatherings, volunteering, and hobbies.
  • Older adults faced challenges in using digital technology to cope with these restrictions, such as lack of technical support and information overload.
• Significance:
  • Meaningful activities fulfill basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), enhancing well-being and life satisfaction.
  • Older adults are a critical user group for technology design, yet their needs are often overlooked.
• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  • Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has been widely applied to understand motivation and psychological needs in areas like game design and AI interaction.
  • Existing HCI research highlights that older adults are not only technology consumers but also content creators, contributing positively to technology design and production.
  • The rapid changes in technology use during COVID-19 provide a unique opportunity to explore how older adults use technology to fulfill psychological needs.

Solution

• Method or Approach:
  • Conducted in-depth interviews with 40 older adults to comprehensively understand their experiences using technology during the pandemic.
  • Analyzed interview data through the lens of Self-Determination Theory, focusing on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
• Innovative Aspects:
  • Introduced psychological Self-Determination Theory into HCI research to analyze how technology supports or limits psychological needs.
  • Proposed specific design recommendations to meet the psychological needs of older adults using technology.
• Implementation Steps and Techniques:
  • Recruited participants aged 65 and above, living independently, and affected by COVID-19 social restrictions.
  • Conducted semi-structured interviews to explore the impact of the pandemic on daily life and technology usage experiences.
  • Applied thematic analysis to identify key themes and categorized data using the SDT framework.

Research Findings

• Specific Outcomes:
  • COVID-19 presented new challenges and opportunities, including increased online activity options, creative technology use, and self-learning to solve technical issues.
  • Digital technology supports older adults in fulfilling psychological needs (e.g., offering activity flexibility, enabling learning of new skills) but may also negatively impact these needs (e.g., information overload, privacy and security concerns).
• Comparative Advantages:
  • Unlike existing perspectives, this study emphasizes that older adults are active users and creators of technology rather than "resistors" or unwilling learners.
  • Provides detailed design guidelines to support older adults in fulfilling psychological needs and actively engaging with technology.
• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  • Technology supports psychological needs through flexible activity participation, autonomous content creation, social connection, and discovering new interests.
  • Limitations include decision-making difficulties due to information overload, discomfort caused by inconsistent interface designs, and social isolation due to reduced face-to-face interactions.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations: The study sample was concentrated in Victoria, Australia, which may limit the generalizability of results due to cultural and social homogeneity; it did not include older adults in weaker health conditions.
  • Future Directions: Explore variations in older adults' technology needs across different cultural contexts; design and validate prototypes that maximize technology's support for psychological needs.

Design Recommendations

1. Empower Older Adults in Digital Content Creation and Production:
   • Provide simplified tools and user-friendly interfaces to support older adults in sharing their skills and creativity with society.
2. Support Older Adults' Engagement in Personal Interests and Passions:
   • Develop technology platforms that guide interest-based activities, fostering intrinsic motivation for participation.
3. Include Positive Feedback to Support Technological Self-Exploration:
   • Optimize system interface design to reduce fear during trial-and-error processes, enhancing confidence in exploration.
4. Promote Deep and Effortful Communication:
   • Add personalized design features to support authentic and meaningful interaction methods.
5. Facilitate Older Adults' Participation in Community Service:
   • Develop technological tools to help older adults share experiences, teach skills, and connect with communities and younger generations.

Conclusion and Significance

• This study reveals the role of digital technology in fulfilling psychological needs and highlights both challenges and opportunities.
• Thoughtfully designed technology for older adults can help sustain their engagement in meaningful activities, fulfill psychological needs, and enhance overall life satisfaction.