Designing in Rural Highland Contexts: Exploring the Role of Technology in Facilitating Human Connections
French, Tara and Blom, Jeroen and Raman, Sneha
There is a need when introducing new technology in health and social care settings to involve those who will use the technology, or be affected by it, at an early stage of the design process. Experience Labs employ a participatory approach for different stakeholders to share lived experiences, and collaboratively create ideas and solutions for health and social care challenges. In this paper, we propose that the participatory approach of the Experience Labs provides a valuable space for collaboration to explore the potential and impact of supportive technology in rural communities. Initial findings suggest that participating in Experience Labs leads to a better understanding of communities of care as established by individuals and support structures in place, and how these can be mediated by technology.