Evaluation of the User Experience of a Standard Telecare Product - The Personal Trigger

Telecare is a term that covers a range of products and services that use new technology to enable people to live with greater independence and safety in their own homes. In this paper, we present an evaluation of the user experience of a familiar telecare product called a `personal trigger' that provides a means of summoning assistance when help is needed. It is supplied as part of a community alarm service and should be worn at all times for continuous protection. Our evaluation is based on a survey distributed to over 1,300 clients in Moray, North East Scotland with a 60% response rate. The main findings are: clients view the service extremely positively, but almost two-thirds have never used their personal trigger to summon help and less than 8% wear it at all times; over two-thirds of clients wear their personal trigger most or all of the time, predominantly because it makes them feel safer; almost one-third of clients wear their personal trigger only some of the time to not at all, mostly because it is too sensitive or they forget to put it on. The appearance of the personal trigger was found to be less significant, despite the large majority of respondents being women. However, there is a need for better design to make it more comfortable and enjoyable to wear. Over the coming years, many older people will have higher expectations of public services. Designers can make things that are attractive and work well, and should be included in teams that develop telecare technology.