Vasudevan Madhan Kumar, Besevli Ceylan, Madapura Nagaraj Preetham, Zhong Shu, Muniyandi Manivannan, Obrist Marianna
Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.
Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
Digit Health. 2025 Jun 17;11:20552076251349909. doi: 10.1177/20552076251349909. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.
Healthy ageing and well-being are deeply connected to our sensory experiences, which shape how we interact with the world. As sensory decline is a natural aspect of ageing, it opens opportunities for designing digital technologies that enhance the quality of life. Our objective is to explore how mindful tactile technologies can support healthy ageing by addressing sensory decline in older adults, with a particular focus on cross-cultural insights and user-led design approaches.
We conducted four co-production workshops: two in India and two in the UK, bringing together older adult attendees from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. These workshops used participatory design methods to gather perspectives on sensory challenges, and emotional well-being and envisioned future technologies related to touch and mindfulness.
Our findings revealed strong connections between sensory experiences, mindfulness, and well-being, as well as distinct cultural differences in how these are experienced and valued. Indian attendees emphasised collective well-being and spiritual practices, while UK attendees focused more on personal autonomy and self-care. These insights informed four key design implications for developing tactile technologies that are culturally adaptive and age-inclusive.
Our work highlights the potential of co-produced, sensory-based digital technologies to enhance the quality of life in older adults. By grounding design in cultural values and lived sensory experiences, our work lays the foundation for future digital health interventions that are both meaningful and inclusive across global ageing populations.
健康老龄化和幸福感与我们的感官体验紧密相连，感官体验塑造了我们与世界互动的方式。由于感官衰退是衰老的自然现象，这为设计提升生活质量的数字技术创造了机会。我们的目标是探索正念触觉技术如何通过解决老年人的感官衰退问题来支持健康老龄化，特别关注跨文化见解和以用户为主导的设计方法。
我们举办了四个联合制作工作坊：两个在印度，两个在英国，召集了来自不同社会经济背景的老年参与者。这些工作坊采用参与式设计方法，收集关于感官挑战、情感幸福感以及与触觉和正念相关的未来技术的观点。
我们的研究结果揭示了感官体验、正念和幸福感之间的紧密联系，以及在这些体验和重视方式上的明显文化差异。印度参与者强调集体幸福感和精神修行，而英国参与者更关注个人自主权和自我照顾。这些见解为开发具有文化适应性和年龄包容性的触觉技术提供了四个关键设计启示。
我们的工作凸显了联合制作的、基于感官的数字技术在提升老年人生活质量方面的潜力。通过将设计建立在文化价值观和实际感官体验的基础上，我们的工作为未来在全球老年人群体中既有意义又具包容性的数字健康干预奠定了基础。
