The Director for CAST (Center for Aging Services Technologies), Dr Majd Alwan described the "perfect storm" with disruptive demographics (growing senior market, fewer healthcare providers), disruptive economy (uncontained healthcare costs) and disruptive technology (wearable sensors, wireless, web 2.0 services, interconnectivity). With this as a backdrop, what will drive the growth of healthcare technologies in the senior market?

In the new 2007 Forrester Report, Liz Boehm discussed the importance of "experience design for seniors" which is a requirement for success. She urged technology companies to understand the real issues that seniors face and the need to design products that address the seniors' emerging needs around declining eyesight (contrast sensitivity, glare sensitivity), hearing, mobility (challenges with operating devices) and cognitive (slower learning) abilities. She warned that aging impacts people at different times and in different ways. Liz suggested that companies use personas to design for "ability, aptitude and attitude and not age". This requires taking a segmentation approach to the senior market and understanding the "technology gate keeper" role that the adult children in the technology evaluation process.

Companies shared their experiences from their research and technology pilots with seniors. Their insight fits nicely into four key themes.

1. Compelling. Technology companies need to position their products so that they enrich the lives of the seniors. Liz Boehm mentioned that the value proposition for seniors must be about "living". Kari Olson, CIO of Front Porch echoed this sentiment, explaining that seniors are initially reluctant to participate in the technology pilots. Instead of referring to the computer technology, seniors will be able to relate if it is positioned as it "helps you live better".

2 Engaging. Companies must also consider how to design their products so that they motivate seniors to want to continue using them. Kari has learned the technology needs to be entertaining and personalized to the senior's interests. She explained that seniors like seeing that information selected for them is different from what others receive. Kari also confessed that seniors love to get feedback messages such as "way to go" since it motivates them to stay engaged and drives "sustained use". Liz also mentioned the value of the feedback mechanism to seniors to encourage them.

3. Comforting. For many seniors, technology is still very foreign. You can appreciate how comforting it can be to have other peers in their community guide the way. Kari explains that these community thought leaders also bring encouragement and credibility to the pilot. She also mentioned that seniors are comforted when they see that their suggested technology changes have been considered which is accomplished through continuous dialogue throughout the pilot. Lisa Gaudet, Director of Remote Technologies from Northeast Health stressed the need to "do a lot of hand holding in the beginning" to make the seniors feel comfortable with the technology.

4. Controlling. Since many seniors are not familiar with how computers really work, some fear that their information will be collected and shared with others who will be making inferences about their current capabilities. Kari found that putting the senior in control of their information and letting them decide when to share their information made all the difference. "Seniors must be the information gate keeper".

Technology companies that design and market their offerings with these four themes in mind will generate more interest from the market, both the seniors and their adult children.