Rens Brankaert – författare

Old age is currently the greatest risk factor for developing dementia. Since older people make up a larger portion of the population than ever before, the resulting increase in the incidence of dementia presents a major challenge for society. Dementia is complex and multifaceted and impacts not only the person with the diagnosis but also those caring for them and society as a whole. 

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) design and development are pivotal in enabling people with dementia to live well and be supported in the communities around them. HCI is increasingly addressing the need for inclusivity and accessibility in the design and development of new technologies, interfaces, systems, services, and tools. Using interdisciplinary approaches HCI engages with the complexities and ‘messiness’ of real-world design spaces to provide novel perspectives and new ways of addressing the challenge of dementia and multi-stakeholder needs.

HCI and Design in the Context of Dementia brings together the work of international experts, designers and researchers working across disciplines. It provides methodologies, methods and frameworks, approaches to participatory engagement and case studies showing how technology can impact the lives of people living with dementia and those around them. It includes examples of how to conduct dementia research and design in-context in the field of HCI, ethically and effectively and how these issues transcend the design space of dementia to inform HCI design and technology development more broadly. The book is valuable for and aimed at designers, researchers, scholars and caregivers that work with vulnerable groups like people with dementia, and those directly impacted.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th Dementia Lab Conference, D-Lab 2019, held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in October 2019.

This book gathers revised and selected contributions to the 5th Dementia Lab Conference, D-Lab 2021, organized online on January 18-28, 2021, from the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, Canada. It describes original strategies in which design or creative methods have been shown to uncover, support and enhance the abilities of people living with dementia. Papers report on new ideas and findings relating to three main themes: engagement, empowerment and identity. They cover: ethics of inclusion and solutions for shifting the culture of care to be focused on both personal independence and reconnecting with the community; new ways of designing with people living with dementia; strategies for breaking negative stereotypes and preconceived opinions; and approaches to retaining personhood and dignity. Offering a timely source of information on new design and creative methods to a broad community of industrial, communication, interactive and inclusive designers, this book is also meant to address and inspire various stakeholders and organizations in dementia care.

This book gathers the revised and selected contributions to the 6th Dementia Lab Conference, D-Lab 2022, held on September 20-22, 2022, in Leuven. It describes original and innovative research on how design can contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, their loved ones, and caregivers. The papers highlight the value of participation within design, analyzing it at three levels: personal, product, and organizational. The presented ideas and findings address ‘The Residue of Design’ and go beyond the initial impact of the design itself by looking at what benefits design research brings for people with dementia. The papers cover topics such as the development of creative design methods to foster participation and engagement from people with dementia, evaluation studies or critical reflections that reveal the impact of products and the built environment in dementia care, and raising awareness and countering stigma in societal views on dementia.