Integrating Voice-Activation Technology with a Social Engagement Platform for Older Adults With and Without Mild Cognitive Impairment in Assisted Living

PROJECT ABSTRACT This 9-month Phase I SBIR feasibility proposal, submitted by iN2L (formerly It’s Never 2 Late) in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), aims to integrate voice-activation technology (VAT) with two social engagement features on the iN2L digital platform to develop a prototype called VSocial, and conduct rigorous usability testing with older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in assisted living (AL) communities. Social engagement technologies can promote social connectedness and improve well-being for older adults both with and without cognitive impairment in AL settings, but there are several usability barriers. To address these usability barriers, iN2L is exploring the feasibility of VAT as an additional method of interaction for the iN2L platform as it is known to reduce user friction and improve technology accessibility. However, for VAT to be successful, it is critical that it is designed with consideration for the user’s age, cognitive abilities, and speech-language characteristics, and that it undergoes rigorous usability testing. To successfully combine iN2L’s person-centered technology with VAT, specifically for the Video Call and Find- a-Friend social engagement features, iN2L is partnering with experts at UIUC in aging and cognition, speech- language communication, technology design, and human factors. In Aim 1, dialogue design requirements will be defined based on voice design principles, findings from hierarchical task analysis, and inputs from experienced older adult iN2L users. Subsequently, VAT interfaces, workflows, and controls for Video Call and Find-a-Friend will be developed and quality assurance testing will be conducted, resulting in the VSocial prototype. In Aim 2, VSocial will be optimized for use by older adults with and without MCI in AL through heuristic evaluations and cognitive walkthroughs by subject matter experts and iterative usability testing with individuals with and without MCI. The findings of the heuristic evaluations and cognitive walkthroughs will be used to guide VSocial redesign. Then iterative usability testing of VSocial will be conducted with a total of 40 older adults with and without MCI in AL (n = 20 MCI, n = 20 without MCI). Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews will be used to assess usability, facilitators and barriers to use, perceptions, and preferences. Identified usability issues and barriers to use will inform VSocial refinement and instructional material revision. Successful completion of the proposed project will help establish the feasibility of VSocial use for older adults with and without MCI in AL through a user-centered design approach that addresses the needs and preferences of this population. The long-term goals of this work are to facilitate social engagement technology utilization in older adults with and without MCI to maximize health and well-being. In Phase II, VSocial would be extended to include iN2L’s full suite of social engagement features and a large-scale evaluation of its efficacy would be conducted in older adults with and without MCI. Given iN2L’s wide industry reach and strong history of market success in senior living technologies, the commercialization potential of VSocial is robust.PROJECT NARRATIVE Social isolation and loneliness in older adults are major public health concerns that negatively impact cognitive and mental health, quality of life, and are linked to increased risk of dementia. The goal of the proposed project is to create an accessible voice-activated social engagement technology prototype called VSocial and test its feasibility of use for older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in assisted living. A long-term goal of this work is to develop a technology that facilitates social engagement and reduces negative health consequences of social isolation and loneliness in older adults with and without MCI.