Using information and communication technology (ICT)
becomes increasingly important for older adults, yet designers often fail
to develop usable software for this group, creating a strong incentive to
include older adults in a participatory development process. This paper
describes how older adults have been included throughout the development
process of a storytelling input component for the Historytelling
(HT) project, to attain the best possible usability for older adults. HT
provides a digital interactive platform for older adults to share life stories
across generations, potentially improving their health and well-being
and follows the HCD+ (Human Centered Design for Aging) approach. 19
older adults (M=68 years old) participated in three studies to analyze,
evaluate and design a storytelling voice assistance including a conversational
agent. They contributed substantially to the development of
the HT project by their involvement in the design process with methods
adjusted to comprise characteristics of older adults, addressing three
central research questions regarding the type of voice input suitable for
older adults, the minimal requirements for a conversational agent and
the design of a suitable dialogue system.