Exploring Privacy: Mental Models of Potential Users of AAL Technology

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technologies have a high potential to combat healthcare challenges while supporting older adults to live independently at their own home. Despite the general positive uptake of such technology, perceptions of barriers of acceptance persist, a major one regards privacy. With an explorative qualitative approach, the current study aimed at investigating participantsc̀ognitive representations of a scenario in which AAL is installed in the own home as a support at an older age. Special focus was on eliciting participantsìmplications for privacy in this scenario and to understand the individual requirements of using AAL technology at home. Opinions of 12 participants (age range: 23-81 years) from Germany and Switzerland were assessed through semi-structured interviews. The paper presents descriptive results and emerging themes of the mapping approach. The results show the usefulness of the method to understand thought processes of potential users regarding pri vacy preferences and technology usage. Findings might be useful to inform technical designers as well as lawmakers to consider these usage requirements during technology or law development.