Care Team
Bridging Social Gaps for Older Adults with Technology
Empowering social wellness through empathetic research and human-centered technology | User Research Study
OVERVIEW
Care Team is a user experience research study aimed at understanding how conversational assistants (CAs) can support older adults—particularly those experiencing social isolation—in maintaining and expanding their offline social wellness. This research was conducted at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University–Indianapolis and funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant #2144503).
Through this study, we explored how socially isolated older adults perceive voice assistant technology for fostering human-human connection—not just as a productivity tool, but as a bridge to meaningful relationships.
TEAM:
Faculty advisor, 2 Research assistant, and myself.
MY ROLE:
Lead Researcher (end-to-end: research design, recruitment, interviews, analysis, synthesis, reporting, and design recommendations)
TOOLS USED:
Qualtrics, Zoom, Excel, Miro, Figma, Google Suite, Overleaf, Tableau
ACHIEVEMENTS
Presented at: PACIFICO Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan 🇯🇵
CHI is the world’s top HCI conference, feeling grateful and hyped to share my work with the best in the field!
CHI Conference 2025 in Yokohama, Japan
Paper - “I Want to Connect, But...”: Exploring Socially Isolated Older Adults’ Views on Social Engagement and Technology for Connecting
Coming up October 2025—stay tuned!
Why This Matters?
Presenting at CHI (in Japan!) and ASSETS means my work isn’t just academic, it’s making waves in the global HCI and accessibility community.
Dream big, present bigger.
PROBLEM SPACE
Many older adults experience disruptions to their social wellness due to life transitions such as retirement, loss of a partner, or relocation. Although conversational assistants (e.g., Alexa, Siri) are present in their homes, they’re rarely used to support social connection.
We asked: Can these tools be reimagined to help older adults re-engage socially?
TARGET USERS
Adults aged 65+
Experiencing social isolation or reduced participation
Interested in technology for social wellness
RESEARCH
Understanding our users & identifying their needs
SURVEY RESULTS
91% of participants use a laptop or desktop, while only 9% use mobile voice assistants.
45% of participants reported feelings of loneliness in the past year.
55% of participants use technology for social interactions frequently.
USER INTERVIEWS
To deeply understand how older adults experience social connection and technology in later life, we conducted background survey analysis with 31 participants and then conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 19 participants, aged 65 and older.
JOURNEY MAPS
RESEARCH GOALS
Understand perceptions and expectations around technology, especially voice assistants
Explore current social habits, barriers, and coping strategies
Identify opportunities for technology to support meaningful connection
STORYBOARDS
AFFINITY MAPPING
DESIGN IMPLICATION
Transition-sensitive tech: Detect major life changes and suggest relevant, local, accessible social opportunities.
Privacy-first design: Clear, simple privacy controls and education to build trust.
Tech support & training: Ongoing, patient, and personalized support for digital literacy.
Hybrid engagement: Blend in-person and remote options; don’t force digital-only solutions.
Accessibility: Prioritize voice and audio features for those with hearing or vision impairments.
REFLECTION & NEXT STEPS
WHAT I LEARNED?
Designing for trust is as important as designing for usability.
01
Empathy in research design leads to more authentic insights, especially with vulnerable populations.
02
Behavioral readiness and emotional safety are key for tech adoption among older adults.
03
Research can drive real impact, our findings informed both academic and industry conversations about voice tech for social good.