Abundant HCI research exists on the many assistive technologies that provide help with everyday physical and cognitive tasks. However, while a purely assistive approach often casts aging people in passive roles, recent studies suggest that adults may be ‘flourishing’ way into advanced age, even though implicit ageist prejudices are difficult to eradicate. Negative age-related stereotypes are the hidden and yet urgent issue we address in this study. There is a clear opportunity for an anti-ageist perspective in HCI, an approach that we propose as complementary to assistive technologies: in addition to providing solutions for the aging population, we urgently call for designs about aging, to spark a conversation on age, raise awareness and ultimately contrast ageist stereotypes. We point at empathy as a key element to reconceptualize, at least in part, HCI’s contribution to research on aging. We present a design critique of two interactive pieces that, although not without flaws, suggest how future empathy-raising artifacts might be. Our analysis combines pragmatist aesthetics, interaction criticism and ludology, and yields four design tactics (recurring configurations of significant elements) that are generative in bringing about broader design implications towards a different, empathy-based concept of aging in HCI.
A broad agenda with societal urgency — From improving children's learning performances to delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease. From productive employees to playing football to counteract radicalisation. From including the disabled to economic export product. Sport can make a positive contribution to dealing with social, cultural and healthcare issues more effectively and can stimulate both personal and economic growth. Two conditions must be satisfied if these contributions are to be realised in a structural, sustainable and successful manner. One: all parties involved must collaborate to realise the evidence-based added value of sport in practice. Two: politicians, industry, healthcare and health insurers must recognise that it is in everybody's interest that sport acquires this key role.
