EasyTell: A Caregiver-Centered Prototype for Innovating Everyday Eldercare through Bite-Sized Digital Storytelling

Ning An, Fang Gui, Yang Liu, Honglin Chen, Jiaoyun Yang

Abstract: Digital storytelling offers notable benefits for older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment. Yet, existing digital storytelling methods are often research-oriented and disconnected from eldercare routines. To extend digital storytelling into everyday eldercare for normal aging, we designed EasyTell, a WeChat mini-program prototype through a four-stage, user-centered design process at a community eldercare center in Hefei, China. Beginning with semi-structured interviews with 13 older adults, the design process evolved through three iterative workshops collaborating with 17 caregivers. Our findings underscore the importance of scenario-based prompts in engaging older adults in storytelling and confirm the viability of a bite-sized story collection method featuring recording, real-time transcription, and manual correction. This paper contributes to the HCI field by illustrating the bite-sized digital storytelling, facilitated by scenario-based prompts, can enhance eldercare, highlighting the potential of digital tools to nurture human connection in everyday caregiving scenarios.