Data Privacy Communications in Smart Home Technology for Older Adults: Evaluation, User Attitudes and Concerns, and Design Implications

Abstract

As the global population continues to age, there is an increasing need for smart home technology that supports older adults in living independently. There is evidence that technology today is capable of automating and carrying out various tasks in the home. However, the adoption of such technology by older adults has been limited, beyond usability and accessibility challenges, due to data privacy and security concerns. Through the evaluation of privacy policies and user agreements of smart home devices from the perspective of the aging population, and a collection of the beliefs and attitudes older adults share about data privacy and smart home technology adoption, this thesis provides a set of guidelines for improving the design of privacy communications that have been evaluated through in-person interviews that companies operating in the smart home technology space can use. These guidelines can be used to inform the way that companies convey content related to data privacy, and also to develop and design devices that are customized to the requirements of older adults which will facilitate a larger adoption of such technology among this population. Ultimately, the hope is that informed adoption of technology will contribute to the overall well-being and quality of life of older adults by enabling them to age-in-place.