Human-Centered Design for Older Users: A Design Methodology for the Development of Smart Devices and Systems Related to Health Care

Considering the current aging society and innovation brought by the Internet of Things, it is important to design and develop new innovative smart solutions using available technologies and design research knowledge, in order to allow older people to be as autonomous as possible, improving their quality of life. The design of smart devices and systems, following a human-centered approach and addressed to older users with particular needs, can be developed following an innovative re-designed methodological process aiming to reduce the project’s complexity and maximize its level of usability. The suggested methodological strategy divides the iterative design process in several design cycles, where every cycle is composed of the stages of planning, analyzing, creating, and verifying. The PASSO project is reported as practical example of the experimented methodological strategy.