Designing dementia friendly user interfaces

Technology has the potential to support people living with dementia to maintain an independent lifestyle. However, for this technology to be effective, the interfaces must take into account the challenges associated with living with the condition, as well as the natural aging process. It has also been suggested that people living with dementia should not be exposed to incomplete systems. This research study aimed to develop a set of guidelines which could support interface designers to develop dementia friendly interactions with technology. These guidelines could also minimise the need to include people with the condition in the early stages of the development process. A systematic search was conducted to establish relevant previous research within the field. This found that whilst there has been extensive research investigating the effect of the natural aging process, there is a limited amount of knowledge in relation to dementia-specific challenges. A content analysis and literature synthesis were undertaken to establish a set of eleven guidelines which have the potential support interface designers. Thus, minimising the need to include people with dementia until the later stages of development. It is important, however, to highlight that these guidelines are not designed to eliminate the need to include people with dementia in the development of new systems, just to postpone their involvement until a more complete system is produced.