New assistive technology (AT) is at our disposal for improving the everyday life of people in need. Yet, the current way how AT is produced and provisioned is hindering certain marginalised groups in the population, particularly elderly people, to get access to it. To expedite time-to-market, reduce costs, and increase accessibility to otherwise unattainable AT, we explore if do-it-yourself (DIY) could be a feasible and desirable alternative to commercial applications. We provide answers to the following research questions: (1) For whom does the DIY approach work in the context of assistive technology? (2) Under which circumstances do DIY work? and (3) How can researchers make DIY a satisfying experience? The evidence we collected during the “iCare” project suggests that DIY attracts both, elderly people with a need-based motive and a hedonic motive. It also shows that a participatory approach and an early engagement with potential users, their family members, and informal caregivers is beneficial for improving design and use-related aspects of the AT and the DIY intervention.

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自己动手作为让老年人获得辅助技术的一种方式：来自 ICARE 项目的证据

我们可以使用新的辅助技术 (AT) 来改善有需要的人的日常生活。然而，目前 AT 的生产和供应方式阻碍了人口中的某些边缘化群体，尤其是老年人，无法获得它。为了加快上市时间、降低成本并增加其他方式无法实现的 AT 的可访问性，我们探索自己动手 (DIY) 是否是商业应用的可行且理想的替代方案。我们提供以下研究问题的答案：(1) 在辅助技术的背景下，DIY 方法对谁有用？(2) DIY在什么情况下工作？(3) 研究人员如何让 DIY 成为令人满意的体验？我们在“iCare”项目中收集的证据表明，DIY 对两者都有吸引力，具有需求动机和享乐动机的老年人。它还表明，参与式方法和与潜在用户、他们的家庭成员和非正式护理人员的早期接触有利于改进 AT 和 DIY 干预的设计和使用相关方面。