Design and Evaluation of a Second Screen Communication and Gaming Platform to Foster Teleparticipation of the Socially Isolated Elderly

Research studies show that life events such as the transition between working life and retirement, the loss of a life partner, as well as sudden changes in living arrangements potentially increase the risk of social isolation among elderly people. While ICT has had a huge impact on everyday communication and social participation, online services still remain inaccessible to the older generation mostly due to technical barriers resulting from little experience in the use of communication technology. This paper discusses the process behind designing, developing, and testing of a second screen communication and gaming platform in order to foster teleparticipation of the socially isolated elderly. The platform supports intuitive gameplay and live videoconferencing through a prototype of the turn-based card game Schnapsen, which is very popular in German-speaking countries. The technical equipment required for home installation is inexpensive, functions mainly on ICT already available in households, and is easily adaptable to future content. User tests showed that even first-time tablet users could quickly understand the playful interaction concept and soon started to engage in real-time video conversation.