Black older adults’ perception of using voice assistants to enact a medical recovery curriculum Journal Article


Authors: Green, A.; Polite, G.; Hung, I.; Fessele, K. L.; Billington, S. L.; Landay, J. A.; Cuadra, A.
Article Title: Black older adults’ perception of using voice assistants to enact a medical recovery curriculum
Abstract: The use of interactive voice assistants (IVAs) in healthcare provides an avenue to address diverse health needs, such as gaps in the medical recovery period for older adult patients who have recently experienced serious illness. By using a voice-assisted medical recovery curriculum, discharged patients can receive ongoing support as they recover. However, there exist significant medical and technology disparities among older adults, particularly among Black older adults. We recruited 26 Black older adults to participate in the design process of an IVA-enacted medical recovery curriculum by providing feedback during the early stages of design. Lack of cultural relevancy, accountability, privacy concerns, and stigmas associated with aging and disability made participants reluctant to engage with the technology unless in a position of extreme need. This study underscored the need for Black cultural representation, whether it regarded the IVA’s accent, the types of media featured, or race-specific medical advice, and the need for strategies to address participants’ concerns and stigmas. Participants saw the value in the curriculum for those who did not have caregivers and deliberated about the trade-offs the technology presented. We discuss tensions surrounding inclusion and representation and conclude by showing how we enacted the lessons from this study in future design plans. © 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
Keywords: teaching; medical education; curricula; race; qualitative analysis; older adults; equity; home health care; patient rehabilitation; disabled persons; user experience; technology adoption; design research; participatory design; voice assistants; personalized healthcare; ambient intelligence; home health; ambients; voice assistant; black population; cancer recovery; care curriculum; concept testing; concept videos; cultural representation; diversity and inclusion; healthcare design; multimodal interfaces; speed dating; user engagement; assistive technology; concept video; healthcare designs; multi-modal interfaces; users' experiences
Journal Title: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Volume: 9
Issue: 2
ISSN: 2573-0142
Publisher: Assoc Computing Machinery  
Date Published: 2025-05-01
Start Page: CSCW039
Language: English
DOI: 10.1145/3710937
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Source: Scopus
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  1. Kristen L Fessele
    29 Fessele