Surfacing Technology Routines While Studying Videoconferencing Among Older Adults with Cognitive Concerns

HCI research increasingly focuses on everyday life to inform technology design for older adults. Routines, a key aspect of everyday life, have been studied to contextualize technology use. Our work brings attention to understanding of routines around videoconferencing technology among older adults with cognitive concerns. We conducted a week-long study involving observations, interviews, and a modified diary study with six older adults with cognitive concerns who videoconference at least once a week. Our analysis revealed how routines helped people adapt to videoconferencing constraints, how participants navigated disruptions to their videoconferencing routines, and the kinds of routines that were more challenging to manage when faced disruptions. In the discussion, we describe why routines are particularly important to study and support for people with cognitive concerns, the importance of studying older adults' routines to support technology use in HCI, and methods that can enrich HCI research by uncovering insights into routines.