The dissertation by Dr. Cordula Endter, deputy professor of social gerontology and member of the GAT, has been published in the series Altern & Gesellschaft by Springer VS Verlag.
Digital assistance technologies are designed to help older people live independently for as long as possible, even if they have age-related limitations. But how are these technologies developed? What ideas of age(ing) play a role in this? How are older people involved in technology development? And what goals are policymakers, technology developers and society pursuing with the development of digital assistance technologies?
Based on several years of field research, Dr. Endter shows how images of age and ideas of age(ing) in funding policy, technology development and among older users themselves affect the development and use of digital technologies and what conditions must be created in research and development to ensure that digital technologies meet the needs of older people. Based on her own research experience, Dr. Endter also explores the role of ethnographic research in the areas of technology development and innovation and reflects on its integration into technology-oriented innovation contexts.
