Case study 7
Emmanuel Tsekleves, John David Keady · 2021
This chapter describes a project that designed and developed an interactive and networked music system for people living with dementia in Germany, focusing on enhancing reminiscence and personhood via participatory design. Three key questions are explored: how to design access to digital music platforms; how to take personal biographies and preferences into account when the person’s autobiographical memory may be impaired; and how to structure an interactive system that adapts to the cognitive and physical abilities of people living with dementia. Through the different values and experiences of undertaking the shared design, the research team were aiming to stimulate debate on referential interfaces for people living with dementia and the levels of playfulness that were necessary in order to provide access to digital contents, especially with a focus on music.