Leveraging Familiarity with Television to Enrich Older Adults' Engagement and Wellbeing: A Feasibility Study Using Video Probes

The shift away from multigenerational families to nuclear families in India has created a growing need to support older adults living independently. While technology can help address this gap, older adults' limited exposure to newer technology restricts the adoption of such solutions. However, they remain comfortable with long-standing technologies like television (TV). This study explores their daily technology usage and challenges, aiming to determine whether TV can be leveraged to improve their quality of life. We examined how TV systems could be enhanced to assist older adults with tasks such as staying connected, receiving health alerts, and ensuring security. Using a participatory design approach, we developed video probes using the prototype of the TV-based application and interviewed 27 older adults to assess its acceptance and usability. The findings validate our hypothesis, as the strong interest in a TV-based solution underscores a preference for familiar technology to support security, independence, and wellbeing.