A Smart Workspace Supporting a Healthy Life in Pre-elderly Households

Abstract

In development of ageing-friendly environments, the evolving social and technical requirements of the elderly have often not been adequately taken into account. A more in-depth understanding of the needs, preferences and social and technical dispositions of the pre-elderly (late 40s and 50s) would provide an enhanced perspective regarding the usability of smart environments. The pre-elderly would have different characteristics from those who are elderly at present. They are more skilled than the present-day elderly at using information technologies such as email, social networking services and smart phones. As they continue to age, the pre-elderly will need environments equipped with smart technologies for use in self-development and professional work. This is especially the case, as it is anticipated that the elderly of the future will have high levels of health and activity. This study involved intensive interviews with several double-income couples in their 40s. The couples’ future desires and requirements for enabling technologies and smart home workspaces were identified. A conceptual framework for a smart workspace was developed based on a first interview with each participating couple. This framework was verified by feedback derived from a second interview. In conclusion, a direction for the design of a smart workspace was proposed.

Safety-Centric and Smart Outdoor Workplace: A New Research Direction and Its Technical Challenges

“…Given the layered architecture of various smart environments, smart workplace is generally considered as a comparable counterpart to other human-centric surroundings like smart home under the umbrella concept of smart city [37,20]; however, smart workplace can also become a subdomain of smart home, e.g., in the case of working from home [12]. When it comes to its own definition, smart workplace has come with different aliases and sometimes inconsistent substances.…”

A Critical Review of Smart Residential Environments for Older Adults With a Focus on Pleasurable Experience

“…It is important to help older people learn to use smart systems independently by informing them about system functions. Many studies (Park, 2008;Darby, 2010;Cho et al, 2013;Maher and Lee, 2017) have considered the idea of affordances to provide a clear perception of possible interactions between householders and artifacts in smart environments. Smart technologies should be designed that allow older adults to communicate with technologies easily, rather than having to learn complex technical languages and commands to support their independent living (Hargreaves et al, 2018).…”

“…Smart technologies should be designed that allow older adults to communicate with technologies easily, rather than having to learn complex technical languages and commands to support their independent living (Hargreaves et al, 2018). Cho et al (2013) explained that if the functional and physical environment is well-designed, it provides affordance of smart workplaces, and hence, it is possible to use smart spaces more effectively, since users' understanding of space use increases. Smart appliances presenting in spaces are mapped to behavioral patterns suggested by participants.…”

“…Older adults should evaluate the features and effects of living in a smart environment based on how they perceive and understand it. Cho et al (2013) identified the key concept and attributes for designing smart workspaces around activities conducted in such spaces based on users' needs and preferences. The approach is unique in that it shifts its focus from the elder people to the pre-elder people.…”

Characterizing the interaction design in healthy smart home devices for the elderly

“…By combining a wide range of smart devices, our inhabited spaces can support occupants' activities and extend their capabilities. 1,2 Smart environments can provide a safer and more comfortable life for people. 3 Importantly, smart environments might have more potential for older adults because smart devices could support an independent lifestyle for the elderly by supplementing their reduced cognitive and physical capabilities.…”