Community-Based Co-Design for Informal Care: Bridging the Gap between Technology and Context

Innovative Product Service Systems are needed in order to keep the healthcare system affordable, while safeguarding or enhancing care quality. Local and European stakeholders are collaborating to address this challenge. As part of such a collaboration, this case study examined application of the Community-based Co-design approach to assistive technology development for informal care. A sequence of methods was applied, involving end-users and communities in the earliest design stages. A design target was found together with informal caregivers, and a solution was iteratively developed together with various stakeholders. This solution enables the informal caregiver both to monitor the care recipient while being away, and to efficiently manage emergency situations if these occur. The solution arranges existing technology in a unique and contextually appropriate way. This makes the solution much more likely to be accepted by end-users and their neighborhood communities. Community-based co-design was essential in reaching this result.