Designing Conversational Systems to Support Older Adults’ Social Wellness

Overview

Many older adults face challenges in discovering and participating in social activities due to fragmented information sources, accessibility concerns, and motivational barriers. This ongoing project explores how conversational user interfaces (voice and chat-based systems) can support older adults in finding and engaging with community events. We are designing a conversational social companion that can learn about users’ interests, recommend relevant opportunities, and provide supportive nudges while maintaining transparency about how recommendations are generated. To inform the design, we are conducting participatory co-design workshops with 10–15 older adults (65+), using methods such as scenario-based discussions, role-playing conversational interactions, feature prioritization exercises, and low-fidelity prototype testing to iteratively refine system concepts based on user feedback.

Tools & Methods

Key Outcomes

• Will be updated soon