Inclusive fitness: participatory design approaches for active ageing

Abstract

This thesis tests the Usability, Safety and Attractiveness Participatory Design model (USAP) in the field of inclusive fitness. The focus is on improving compatibility between elderly people and fitness products. Three participatory design (PO) workshops were carried out with potential users ranging from 20 to 80 years of age. The research not only includes current elderly people but also those who will be entering this age bracket in the next ten years. Although the main focus is on the elderly, younger participants were included, and acted as a transgenerational audit. The first PO session made known possible avenues for exploration; the second session introduced a new group of people to the research and acted as a check to see if a wider audience of older users had similar needs to those uncovered so far; the third session involved middle age participants who will be entering old age in the next ten years. Concepts were generated and participants commented and critiqued them.