Ageing in the right place – the development of a web-based housing counselling intervention

Introduction: Despite a strong wish of most seniors to age in place, no services exist to support seniors in their residential reasoning, i.e., to plan and prepare for future housing needs. The aim of this study was to describe the first steps of development of a web-based housing counseling intervention aiming to promote active ageing.

Material & Methods: A user-centered design process was applied based on the research circle methodology including iterative cycles of information gathering, data collection, and analytic meetings. Findings from literature reviews, meeting with a tech expert board (n=6) and interviews with stakeholders representing non-for-profit organizations, companies, and municipalities (n=7) served as discussion points in the research circles. Nine older adults participated in three research circles during the initial phase of developing an on-paper prototype; a fourth research circle was conducted focused on the content of a first web-based prototype.

Results: The findings generated through the process of user involvement were identified as key features of the intervention and categorized into three modules: THINK, LEARN and ACT. This content allowed users at different stages of the decision-making process to access relevant information related to their present and future housing situation. The actual design of the web-based intervention, including how information relevant to the unique user’s situation was to be accessed, was identified as a critical feature to enhance usability.

Conclusion: Residential reasoning is complex and a web-based housing-counselling intervention can provide older adults with the information needed to support residential reasoning and thereby potentially promote active ageing.