When you develop technology for seniors, you unavoidably come up against pitfalls. And sometimes, you make an outright blooper. It is all part of the game and perfectly okay. As long as you learn from it. In this section, you will find a selection of the experiences from the people interviewed for this magazine.
Blooper: misunderstandings and confusion
‘What often went wrong was the communication with the technology partners. After a good meeting, you would think: yes, now we’ve nailed it! But within a week, you’d discover that they interpreted matters differently after all.’
Roy Beumers, manager innovation & funding at Zuyderland
Pitfall: exhausting your own savings
‘Ensure that you have enough financial backing in all stages of the development so that in your enthusiasm you don’t have to exhaust your own savings. And if things really fail to work out: stop…’
Annemarie Johannes, co-founder Anne4Care
Pitfall: too much emphasis on scientific research
‘Too much emphasis on scientific research can get in the way of a quick development process. From the necessary consent from the medical ethics committee to the design of the questionnaires: it all requires specific procedures. Whereas in practice, you sometimes want to develop something in short sprints in which seniors can provide feedback before you take the next step.’
Jan Brinkers, policy adviser advocacy KBO-PCOB organisation for older people
Pride: doing everything together with seniors
‘What makes us really proud is that, right from the outset, we have developed the technology together with seniors themselves. We’ve always taken the lead in the process. The acceptance of care technology by our clients is also high.’
Maarten Coolen, manager information, ICT and innovation at Hoogstaete
Pitfall: one municipality is not enough
‘Some municipalities reimburse the costs for Anne from the budget available under the Dutch Social Support Act. The pitfall is that once you have one deal, all municipalities will be on board. But each municipality has its own rules. And there are almost 350 municipalities in the Netherlands...’
Annemarie Johannes, co-founder Anne4Care
Pitfall: many different goals
‘The pitfall in large, international projects – also within AAL – is that the parties within the consortia all have their own interests. You then risk losing sight of the common goal. As the leading party, you need to critically look for suitable collaboration partners, which would allow you to determine that goal.’
Martijn Vastenburg, founder ConnectedCare
Blooper: a well-functioning but boring game
‘We once developed a serious game together with technicians, psychologists and a communication expert. The game was well thought out, user-friendly, looked great, and worked perfectly. But, it proved to be extremely boring … Clearly a missed opportunity. If you want to add value with a serious game like that, you also need to involve the creative industry.’
Henk Herman Nap, researcher and digital care specialist at Vilans
Pitfall: underestimating hurdles
‘Sometimes small things can still form a barrier. Something as seemingly simple as having to log in can already prove to be too difficult. And some seniors do not know their own email address. That can be a pitfall.’
Nora Ramadani, project leader at KBO-PCOB
Pitfall: great product, but ‘not for me’
‘I do remember a lady who first participated in a co-creation session and later used the product at home during the field test. At the end, she said: I think it has become a fantastic product, but not for me. Then I thought to myself: wait a moment, we developed this especially for you, so how come you’re telling me this now? That is indeed a pitfall. Therefore, make sure you don’t just ask what a good solution to a problem would be. But also discuss: what needs to be done to ensure that you will use it in your personal situation?’
Martijn Vastenburg, founder ConnectedCare