Designing for Capacities Rather Than Disabilities. Investigating the relationship between psychomotor capacities and interaction opportunities

This paper explores how designing based on psychomotor capacities instead of disabilities can reconnect old people with technology. We introduce four alternative designs for radios to demonstrate how facilitating a design process that acknowledges psychomotor challenges associated with aging can both help participants rediscover their own psychomotor capacities and simultaneously re-establish meaningful interaction. The paper presents findings from quantitative analysis of performance testing and qualitative analysis from reflection activities involving 65 participants over four years. We use our findings in a discussion of how we can incorporate knowledge about the participants’ psychomotor capacities in the design process to help design artifacts that can prolong interaction.