Developing personas for use in the design of dementia care environments

Context: Dementia has a high global prevalence, and the number of people with dementia (PWDem) worldwide is expected to rise in coming years. The various symptoms associated with dementia can cause difficulties for PWDem when engaging with activities of daily living (ADLs) as the disease progresses. However, designing a care environment which enables PWDem to successfully engage with ADLs is not a simple task, in part because PWDem may find it difficult to communicate their needs to a design team. For this reason, design personas which aimed to represent PWDem at different stages of the disease were created as a means of communicating these needs to designers. This paper describes an evaluation study on these personas. Objectives: To consult design stakeholders and obtain feedback on the use of the personas in the process of designing a dementia care home. Methodology: Interviews and focus groups were used to obtain feedback on the personas. Main results: Participants suggested several improvements for the personas. These included (1) diagrams (images and symbols) rather than text, (2) focusing less on specific design guidance, and (3) including a wider range of symptoms and needs. Conclusion: The wide range of suggested changes from the participants indicated both engagement with, and potential for, the initial personas. The personas have been revised and will be tested in care homes to explore how far they accurately represent the needs of PWDem both with caregivers and PWDem.