Chaiwoo Lee and Lauren Cerino Showcase Smart Home Research at HFES 2024
by Adam Felts
AgeLab researchers Chaiwoo Lee and Lauren Cerino presented research at the 2024 HFES International Annual Meeting on smart home systems and attitudes of older adults about aging in place.
Lee presented a paper on the desires and frustrations of expert users of smart home systems. The researchers who ran this study interviewed 6 people who were proficient with smart home technology. Participants were exposed to an activity in which they designed their own ideal smart home, while explaining their reasoning for their choices. They were also asked about the challenges they faced with the technologies that they presently used.
The paper presented descriptions of the 6 participants’ smart home designs, as well as the predominant themes of ideal smart home design: transparency, keeping the human in the loop, reliability, uniformity in user interfaces across brands, and functionality that extends beyond the home. Shabnam FakhrHosseini was the lead author of the paper, with Chaiwoo Lee, Matthew Milton, and Joseph Coughlin credited as co-authors.
Cerino presented a poster describing a study in which research participants were exposed to a smart home “prototype kit,” with attention to how having the kit in their homes affected their attitudes toward smart home technologies. Shabnam FakhrHosseini was the lead author of the paper, with Chaiwoo Lee, Sheng-Hung Lee, Lauren Cerino, and Joseph Coughlin credited as co-authors.
She also delivered a presentation on a paper on the 85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel members’ attitudes toward smart home technologies. Findings from a survey and a series of focus groups uncovered that the oldest old are highly interested in technologies that help maintain their sense of control and autonomy over their environment. Participants indicated that the primary advantages of smart home systems include enhanced safety, personal curiosity satisfaction, and eco-friendliness. Conversely, the main disadvantages are maintenance costs, initial purchase expenses, and the learning curve associated with new systems. Participants also expressed concerns about potential overreliance on smart home solutions, which could erode their independence.
The authors of the paper are Taylor Patskanick, Lauren Cerino, Sophia Ashebir, Shabnam FakhrHosseini, Lisa D’Ambrosio, and Joseph Coughlin. Learn more about the paper here.
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