Examining the impact of familiarity on faucet usability for older adults with dementia

Abstract

BackgroundChanges in cognition caused by dementia can significantly alter how a person perceives familiarity, impacting the recognition and usability of everyday products. A person who is unable to use products cannot autonomously complete associated activities, resulting in increased dependence on a caregiver and potential move to assisted living facilities. The research presented in this paper hypothesised that products that are more familiar will result in better usability for older adults with dementia. Better product usability could, in turn, potentially support independence and autonomy.MethodsThis research investigated the impact of familiarity on the use of five faucet designs during 1309 handwashing trials by 27 older adults, who ranged from cognitively intact to the advanced (severe) stages of dementia. Human factors methods were used to collect empirical and self-reported data to gauge faucets’ usability. Participants’ data were grouped according to cognition (i.e., no/mild, moderate, or severe dementia). Logistic regression, ranking by odds, and Wald tests of odds ratios were used to compare performance of the three groups on the different faucets. Qualitative data were used in the interpretation of quantitative results.ResultsResults indicated that more familiar faucets correlated with lower levels of assistance from a caregiver, fewer operational errors, and greater levels of operator satisfaction. Aspects such as the ability to control water temperature and flow as well as pleasing aesthetics appeared to positively impact participants’ acceptance of a faucet. The dual lever design achieved the best overall usability.ConclusionsWhile work must be done to expand these findings to other products and tasks, this research provides evidence that familiarity plays a substantial role in product usability for older adults that appears to become more influential as dementia progresses. The methods used in this research could be adapted to analyse usability for other products by older adults with dementia.

Principles for fostering the transdisciplinary development of assistive technologies

“…▪ COACH's development team conducted research to specifically investigate assumptions (e.g., [47][48][49][50] 53 ; the usability of different types of water faucets by people with dementia 54 ; babyboomer and older adults' perceptions regarding the acceptability of different types of sensors in different areas of the home 50 ; and the use of actors simulating dementia to optimise pre-trial prototypes 55 .…”

Extra care: viable for couples living with dementia?

“…Care partner (P15) The perspectives of the participants on this issue finds supporting evidence from research that suggests the more familiar people with dementia are with their environment the more likely they are to retain skills and act independently (Brittain et al, 2010;Provencher et al, 2012;Boger et al, 2013. ) For example, Provencher et al (2012) found older people with 'poor and preserved executive functions' to perform cooking tasks more effectively at home than in unfamiliar surroundings.…”

The development of assistive dementia technology that accounts for the values of those affected by its use

“…Therefore, if dementia develops, the person will recognise the device and permit its guidance, because it is familiar and trusted. However, whilst addressing the affective aspect of trust is probably essential for achieving actual use of ATDs, the theory that addressing trust through long-term use will solve this challenge, as indicated in one study (Boger et al 2013), requires further investigation. An alternate solution is discussed in case study 2, below.…”

“…Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of dementia (Petersen and Negash 2008). There is evidence that suggests that familiarity with a device determines its usability until more advanced stages of dementia (Boger et al 2013). By introducing adaptive ATDs whilst people are experiencing MCI, the device becomes a standard part of everyday life.…”