BESiDE

Abstract

l.j.z.mcintyre@dundee.ac.uk This article describes BESiDE, a multi-disciplinary research project that investigates themes of ageing, wellbeing, accessibility and digital technologies within the context of built environment design. Through the development of dialogue tools, indoor localization and physical activity tracking sensors, BESiDE is taking steps towards enhancing understanding of accessibility within the design of care home environments.Focused on initial reflections from contemporary design practice, we have found that, design guidance; a lack of research 'tools' to engage with users; an absent research culture; and missing elements of design training, are factors preventing a designer's holistic engagement with the experiences of older people and technologies within the built environment. In addition to reviewing these findings, an overview of BESiDE'S continuing work and methods planned for assessing the accessibility within older peoples' care environments is discussed.