Co-designed toolkits may offer a useful and cost-effective mechanism for translating older adults' priorities into digital product development, with SMEs perceiving the toolkit as practical, relevant, and impactful for informing design choices.
Key Findings
Results
A large-scale co-design process involving 157 participants across 15 settings generated seven cross-cutting themes representing older adults' priorities for digital technologies supporting physical activity and reminiscence.
Total of 157 participants included 121 older adults, 7 younger adults, and 29 staff across 15 community and care settings in England and Scotland.
Participants engaged in 106 technology interaction sessions, 22 evaluation focus groups, and 10 co-design workshops.
More than 20 digital technologies were evaluated during the sessions.
Thematic analysis and structured card-ranking tasks were used to derive participant priorities.
The seven themes identified were: motivation, content, barriers, design and inclusivity, suitability, acceptability, and motivations to use.
Methods
The co-design findings were organized into a developer-facing toolkit comprising three sections covering general design principles, online physical-activity platforms, and virtual reality.
The toolkit was structured into three sections: general design principles, online physical-activity platforms, and virtual reality.
Preliminary toolkits were co-designed and subsequently used by 10 UK-based SMEs.
SMEs received small grants to apply the toolkit to active development projects.
SME reports and follow-up interviews were analyzed thematically to identify perceived impacts.
Results
SMEs reported that the toolkit enhanced their understanding of older adults' needs, validated existing design decisions, and inspired new product features.
Ten UK-based SMEs used the toolkit in active digital product development projects.
Perceived impacts included improved usability, expanded accessibility options, increased content variety, clearer instructional design, enhanced social components, and reduced operational costs.
SMEs also reported business benefits including strengthened cases for investment and increased product uptake.
Findings were derived from SME written reports and follow-up interviews analyzed thematically.
Discussion
The toolkit approach was identified as a complement to, but not a replacement for, direct user involvement in digital product development for older adults.
Authors note the approach 'may complement, but does not replace, direct user involvement.'
The toolkit is described as a 'scalable mechanism for translating end-user priorities into real-world product development.'
The approach was characterized as potentially useful for SMEs that lack resources to conduct meaningful co-design with older adults.
Authors suggest this approach 'may help accelerate inclusive digital-health innovation for aging populations.'
Background
Many small- and medium-sized enterprises lack the resources to conduct meaningful co-design with older adults, creating a gap between user needs and digital product development.
The study was motivated by the observation that 'many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lack the resources to conduct meaningful co-design with older adults.'
Digital technologies have potential to support physical, cognitive, and social activity among older adults.
Toolkits derived from rigorous co-design processes were proposed as a scalable mechanism to bridge this gap.
The study's primary aim was to engage older adults in co-design to identify priorities for digital technologies supporting physical activity and reminiscence.
What This Means
This research suggests that a carefully structured co-design process — where older adults actively participate in shaping the development of digital tools — can produce practical guidelines (a 'toolkit') that technology companies can use even when they don't have the time or budget to conduct their own extensive user research. The study involved 157 people across 15 community and care settings in England and Scotland, who tried out more than 20 different digital technologies and gave detailed feedback through workshops, focus groups, and hands-on sessions. Their input was distilled into seven key themes, such as motivation, accessibility, and social connection, which were then packaged into a toolkit for developers.
When 10 small technology companies used this toolkit in their own product development work, they reported meaningful benefits: their products became easier to use, more accessible, and better suited to older adults' needs. Some companies also reported business advantages, such as being better able to attract investment and seeing more people adopt their products. The toolkit appeared to both confirm decisions companies had already made and spark ideas for new features they hadn't considered.
This research suggests that co-designed toolkits could be a cost-effective way to ensure that the voices of older adults are reflected in digital health and activity products, even when companies cannot afford to run their own user studies. However, the authors caution that this approach works best as a supplement to — not a substitute for — direct involvement of older adults in product design. This could have broad implications for how the technology industry develops products for aging populations more inclusively and efficiently.
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Cooper L, Bradwell H, Shore C, Tomaz S, Baxter R, Ryde G, et al.. (2026). Developing Digital Platforms to Help Older Adults Stay Physically and Socially Active: Co-Design Study to Develop a Toolkit and Evaluate Its Impact.. JMIR aging. https://doi.org/10.2196/89785