A computer assistant for remote collaborative troubleshooting of domestic medical instruments

Patients suffering from chronic illness, such as diabetes, use various domestic instruments as part of their self-care. For older adults, there is a need for assistance to use the instruments adequately and to solve technical failures. Following the eHealth concept, we designed a computer assistant for an older adult and a technical specialist, which supports remote collaborative troubleshooting which tailors the feedback to the users’ needs. We evaluated two feedback styles, i.e., cooperative and directive, in the TNO Experience lab, with older and younger adults playing the role of patient and technical specialist, respectively, in “failure scenarios”. Results show that most effective troubleshooting occurs with teams consisting of a older patient receiving cooperative feedback and a younger technical specialist receiving directive feedback. In addition, the patient experienced more effort than the technical specialist. Further, different personal characteristics had moderating effects on the evaluation of the feedback styles. Our study concluded that different user groups require different feedback styles and that computer assistance for remote collaborative troubleshooting will be optimal when this feedback is personalized.