The population in the Netherlands is ageing and the risk for people to develop dementia increases. Research has found that audio, music and soundscapes of everyday sounds help people with dementia to trigger feelings of reminiscence, and can positively infuence social interactions. In this report, an audio-based communicative tool was developed named Archiful.
Archiful relies on stories and conversations which develop based on the personalised auditive triggers of the tool. Archiful was developed using an iterative design method, with insights from experts, caretakers and people with dementia.
A marketing and business perspective was introduced throughout the development to design for real impact and with values of multiple stakeholders taken into account.
The design was able to support these conversations, but was not tested in a relative-on-person with dementia setting. This report suggests more emphasis on designing for caretakers at home, who deal with communication issues and suggests exploring sounds in dementia care more often.
