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Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the expectations and experiences regarding a robotic shower, from a dual user perspective. Design/methodology/approach This was an explorative qualitative study in which elderly and personnel were interviewed before the robotic shower was installed and again after four or five months of usage. Findings The elderly participants found the robotic shower empowering. The personnel’s experiences encompassed their own work conditions, as well as the user value for the elderly. A shared experience for both user groups was a more independent shower situation for the elderly. Research limitations/implications Low user frequency among the elderly may have affected the results; more frequent use may lead to different user experiences. Understanding whether and to what extent long-term use affects user experience is important for future adoption and implementation. Practical implications Implementation of digital assistive technology (DAT) should focus on the user value of the DAT for all possible user groups, as the different users may experience different values over time. In addition, approaching adoption and acceptance issues of DAT from a learned helplessness perspective may help users find value in the DAT and the independence these aim to provide, helping users maintain or increase quality of life. Originality/value This study presents a dual user experience of a DAT in an intimate care situation and shows the importance of including both elderly and personnel to fully understand the value of DATs.

This study shows that seniors strive to become more independent and that acceptance of welfare technology needs to be understood in the specific situation. User experiences from welfare technology, such as the robotic shower, that serve in a very intimate situation, may not be comparable to the results from previous studies of, for example, surveillance technology. The preliminary results in this paper build on both qualitative and quantitative data, and show that seniors are in general positive to replacing the current shower situation with a more autonomous shower situation as provided by the robotic shower. An important aspect for acceptance was the functionality of the robotic shower. Furthermore, this study showed that the understanding of the shower situation in general can be used for improvement of the current shower situation, to prevent learned helplessness.

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