iTV to Connect Generations: A Field Trial of a Solution to Send Personalized Notifications

Digital exclusion is part of the list of reasons that amplify older adults’ social isolation and loneliness. Since they are not digital natives, like the newer generations, frequently these individuals do not have the same easiness to exchange messages or use other tools to connect them with other people. In this sense, the present work aims to identify whether the use of television to show personalized notifications, as an intermediary device, can boost interactions between the elderly and other generations since it is a familiar gadget to this audience. For this, a focus group was made with six participants, between 64 and 81 years old, who evaluated different scenarios centered on sending notifications to the television screen, suggesting actions that culminated in social interaction. Then, a platform that sends notifications to the TV was developed and subsequently used by 12 older adults (between 58 and 85 years old) for 44 consecutive days. This paper presents the results obtained during the tests conducted in the participants’ homes and demonstrates that notifications displayed on the TV (a very familiar device for this audience) can enhance intergenerational connections, reducing the perception of social isolation and loneliness among older adults.