AAL - Join-In - Senior Citizens Overcoming Barriers by Joining Fun Activities

This project proposal is for the Norwegian participation in the AAL project Join-In. One of the main activities offered by Join-in will be multiplayer gaming and exer-gaming for elderly. Three key barriers have been identified for this user group when it comes to participating in such activities: Access, Motivation and Skills and confidence. We will meet those barriers by - Facilitating access providing support and training, barrier free interfaces, technologies taking care of cognitive and mental capaci ties likely in the elderly; -accessibility by offering low cost access and by enabling the use of a TV in combination with an easy-to-use set-top box. - Increase motivation by giving the elderly an incentive, such as a fun factor, to use the internet, an d by providing the necessary technologies for easy and motivating accessibility. - Providing skills and confidence by offering easy-to-use interfaces and the necessary support through technologies such as controllers adapted to the special needs of the e lderly and through human life support. Games will enable the elderly to share experiences with other generations. Security and data protection will also be important issues. There will be a possibility to access the internet via the TV - an interface the entire target group is well acquainted with. Join-in will also offer set-top boxes that enable online communication with others, something that is - so far - not available on a commercial basis. Join-in will use design-based research. This is a systematic but flexible methodology aimed to improve practices through iterative analysis, design, development and implementation and evaluation based on collaboration among researchers and practitioners in real-world settings. The users will be involved in the pro ject development at all stages. The Norwegian partners are WP leaders of two work packages. The final project description is being negotiated and will be forwarded as will a copy of the signed consortium agreement