About the project
Internet-connected devices, such as mobile or IoT devices, are now widely used in elderly care for monitoring and tracking. This project aims to explore the security, privacy, and usability issues that older adults and their caregivers face throughout the life cycle of these Internet-connected devices.
Internet-connected devices, such as mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, often advocate their ability to improve older adults' quality of life, helping both the older adults and their caregivers track and monitor their health conditions more efficiently and effectively. The major barrier to adoption, however, comes from the complicated deployment, configuration, and management of these devices and data collection, compounded with older adults' low confidence in technology, privacy concerns, and confusion.
Moreover, many older adults under care have various health complications, such as dementia, low-vision, diabetes or mobility issues, which may impact their capability to use or manage such systems. A caregiver may have to step in and co-manage the system with them, creating more challenges.
The project aims to understand the security and privacy concerns that older adults and their caregivers face throughout the entire life cycle of these Internet-connected devices. It also aims to eventually develop usable prototypes that resolve or alleviate concerns by gathering ideas from and responding to real-world older adults and caregivers.
Grounded in real-world issues, the project takes a human-centred approach towards the challenge at hand, involving multiple phases, including:
- user studies, such as surveys or interviews
- system prototyping, such as website, mobile app, and internet-connected device development
- usability testing (with real people)
- design iteration
You will have opportunities to collaborate with renowned researchers internationally, attend international conferences, and connect with potential industrial partners.