Acceptance and Privacy Perceptions Toward Video-based Active and Assisted Living Technologies: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The aging society posits new socioeconomic challenges to which a potential solution is active and assisted living (AAL) technologies. Visual-based sensing systems are technologically among the most advantageous forms of AAL technologies in providing health and social care; however, they come at the risk of violating rights to privacy. With the immersion of video-based technologies, privacy-preserving smart solutions are being developed; however, the user acceptance research about these developments is not yet being systematized. OBJECTIVE: With this scoping review, we aimed to gain an overview of existing studies examining the viewpoints of older adults and/or their caregivers on technology acceptance and privacy perceptions, specifically toward video-based AAL technology. METHODS: A total of 22 studies were identified with a primary focus on user acceptance and privacy attitudes during a literature search of major databases. Methodological quality assessment and thematic analysis of the selected studies were executed and principal findings are summarized. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines were followed at every step of this scoping review. RESULTS: Acceptance attitudes toward video-based AAL technologies are rather conditional, and are summarized into five main themes seen from the two end-user perspectives: caregiver and care receiver. With privacy being a major barrier to video-based AAL technologies, security and medical safety were identified as the major benefits across the studies. CONCLUSIONS: This review reveals a very low methodological quality of the empirical studies assessing user acceptance of video-based AAL technologies. We propose that more specific and more end user- and real life-targeting research is needed to assess the acceptance of proposed solutions.

Understanding User Needs, Persona Scenarios for Privacy-Preserving Visual System Development.

As the world's population ages, the demand for active and assisted living technologies that can support older adults maintain their independence, health, and quality of life is increasing. Video monitoring cameras can provide a sense of safety and peace of mind for both older adults and their caregivers. However, these visual sensing systems come with major privacy concerns. Researchers have developed various visual privacy preservation filters that can be used for video-based monitoring technology, such as blurring, pixelation, silhouette, or avatar. To understand the user's needs and fine-tune the system to their preferences, the persona scenario method was employed in this study. The goal-directed approach to persona design was followed. This scenario-based technique involves creating fictitious persona archetypes that represent the unique characteristics, needs, and goals of the target user group and other stakeholders involved in the process of care provision. A set of eight personas were created based on the qualitative data collected through interviews and focus groups in Spain. Data from 62 participants were analyzed, which represented different contributor groups such as older adults, direct caregivers, healthcare experts, and other stakeholders. The final personas are accessible to the public on a Blueprint persona repository.