Technologies for promoting social participation in later life

Social participation is known to bring great benefits to the health and well-being of people as they age. From being in contact with others to engaging in group activities, keeping socially active can help slow down the effects of age-related declines, reduce risks of loneliness and social isolation and even mortality in old age. There are unfortunately a variety of barriers that make it difficult for older adults to engage in social activities in a regular basis. In this chapter, we give an overview of the challenges to social participation and discuss how technology can help overcome these barriers and promote participation in social activities. We examine two particular research threads and designs, exploring ways in which technology can support co-located and virtual participation: i) an application that motivates the virtual participation in group training programs, and ii) a location-based game that supports co-located intergenerational ICT training classes. We discuss the effectiveness and limitations of various design choices in the two use cases and outline the lessons learned

💡 Research Summary

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The paper addresses the well‑documented health and well‑being benefits of social participation for older adults, while acknowledging that a range of barriers—mobility constraints, lack of companions, low motivation, limited activity opportunities, and insufficient ICT skills—often prevent sustained engagement. To explore how technology can mitigate these obstacles, the authors develop and evaluate two distinct systems: a virtual group‑exercise platform called Gymcentral and a location‑based game designed for co‑located intergenerational ICT training.

Gymcentral recreates the physical layout of a gym in a digital environment, offering a virtual lobby, locker room, classroom, and messaging hub. A central design choice is the use of a “growing garden” metaphor to visualise personal progress, which makes the interface intuitive for users with limited digital literacy. Persuasive technology principles are embedded through goal‑setting, progress bars, badges, and leaderboards to foster both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. An eight‑week pilot with 30 older participants showed a rise in weekly participation from an average of 2.3 to 4.1 sessions, alongside statistically significant improvements in perceived social connectedness, physical self‑efficacy, and overall life satisfaction. However, participants reported challenges related to unstable network connections, the initial learning curve, and a desire for more personalized feedback, indicating areas for refinement.

The second intervention, a location‑based game, pairs senior participants with younger mentors in the same physical space to complete collaborative quests that teach ICT skills. GPS and QR‑code triggers embed the game narrative within real‑world locations, encouraging safe movement while providing contextual learning. Game mechanics such as team‑based scoring, level progression, and shared objectives generate enjoyment and a sense of achievement. Over six weeks, 25 seniors demonstrated an average increase of 1.8 points in ICT confidence and a measurable reduction in social isolation scores. Nonetheless, the study highlighted that participants without personal smartphones required additional preparatory training, and occasional technical glitches disrupted the flow for some users.

Both systems share core design principles: simplicity and intuitiveness, socially structured interaction spaces, and motivational scaffolding. The garden metaphor and team‑based gameplay effectively lowered cognitive load for low‑skill users, while the virtual “rooms” and collaborative quests compensated for physical mobility limitations by fostering social presence. The findings suggest that technology can indeed lower barriers to participation, but success hinges on reliable infrastructure (stable internet, device availability) and ongoing support (training, feedback loops).

The authors conclude with several actionable insights: (1) interfaces for older adults should prioritize clear metaphors and minimal complexity; (2) embedding social structures (e.g., virtual lobbies, team quests) is essential to replicate the benefits of face‑to‑face interaction; (3) persuasive elements must be balanced with personalized assistance to sustain long‑term engagement; and (4) policymakers should consider subsidizing connectivity and device access to ensure equitable adoption. Future work is proposed to scale these prototypes, integrate adaptive personalization, and evaluate long‑term health outcomes across diverse senior populations.