Requirements gathering for an inclusive digital economy
The elderly are a great underutilized resource for the workforce, and a large number of potential retirees would like to continue contributing to the workforce. The older population, however, is badly served by the Digital Economy. Older people, even those who remain active in the workforce, often are confused by rapidly changing technologies and often fall short of the high level of sensory, motor and cognitive skills required to successfully learn and operate new systems.
This is a collaborative project with Ms. Maggie Morgan a scriptwriter, theatre director and trained facilitator, who has developed a form of interactive theatre for use in medical staff training, and community consultation, was appointed Leverhulme Artist in Residence in the School in 2005/6, and Professor Sara Czaja (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, US) is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Industrial Engineering at the University of Miami.
In this feasibility study, we will apply the theatre techniques for requirements gathering for issues of IT and aging workers. Ms Morgan will develop the scripts for three to four, five to ten minutes scenarios which will show the good and bad effects of the Digital Economy on older workers. These will be presented by professional actors to older workers in three facilities – Dundee University, IBM New York and the University of Miami. Quantitative and quantitative data will be gathered by asking research participants to respond to multi-choice questions during the Theatre Forum and full transcript of the discussions will be invaluable, particularly in cases where insights are shared that touch on topics not covered by questions previously considered by the investigators.
The data obtained will be fed directly into the IBM Open Collaborative Research project that involves the three principal investigators. It will form the basis for follow on UK and UK/USA in-depth software and human interface development projects with a wider remit and a wider range of informants. This project will show the important role theatre can play in conceptual requirements gathering and discussions in the workplace including the ethical, sociological, trade union, and policy making considerations involved in introducing the Digital Economy into industry and commerce.
Funder: EPSRC
Start Date: 01/07/2008
End Date: 28/02/2009
For further information about the Requirements gathering for an inclusive digital economy project please contact Prof Alan Newell.