The most informative phase of our research was by far the interviews we conducted with the seniors. We found that seniors were generally very willing to share their experiences and opinions. In our interviews, we were interested in getting a better sense of their listening habits and their use of their personal music player at home. [List of Questions]

Recruiting

Finding elders proved to be a hard task. We wanted to design our music player for seniors who enjoy listening to music to some degree. We also restricted ourselves to finding seniors who did not suffer from significant hearing loss, or even other disability (aside from the expected vision impairment that typically comes with aging). We also focused on recruiting seniors who lived independently (and not in assisted nursing homes, or with an extended nuclear family)). In the end, we were able to find users by word-of-mouth through friends and families of acquaintences, as well as through contacts at Carnegie Mellon University's Lifelong Learning Academy, which conducts educational courses for seniors.

Interviews

For the research phase, we shadowed/interviewd with 8 seniors, who ranged in age from 70-85. Four of the seniors were interviewed as a married couple. The remainined were interviewed individually, either separate from their spouse or were seniors who were now single and had been widowed for a few years. We interviewed each senior in their homes and specifically in the room where they typically listen to music. Each interview lasted somewhere between 30 to 60 minutes. During each interview, we asked each person to demonstrate how they use their current music player.

Below are each of the interview participants listed with a short description of the interviewee followed by important points that we learned from the interviews. Each interview has much more depth than is included here, but the most salient points have been highlighted.

Mr. B

A retired engineer and avid music listener, he loves listening to WQED radio on his 1965 self-assembled stereo system.

• Has 2 systems: one upstairs, one downstairs
• Plays piano recreationally; played as a kid, and still plays today
• Informed listener: knows composers, background information of each piece he listens
• Many songs linked to dinstictive memories
• Sometimes routine (e.g. Saturday opera) listening
• Mostly unscheduled listening, whenever he's at home
• Most meaningful objects: Photos

Mrs. R

She still puts in (more than) a full work week. She only listens to music at home for a few hours a week in the evenings or on days off, which is done primarily for relaxation.

• Listen while reading or doing crosswords
• Appreciates the high-quality sound her music player provides
• Has a limited CD collection: ~ 15 CDs
• Listens primarily to CDs
• Obtained most of her CDs through recommendations from friends
• Most meaningful: Photos & trinkets

Mr. A

If he's listening to something, it's probably a sports game that isn't on TV. He still works part-time, delivering items, which is where most of his listening occurs.

• Primarily talk radio (KDKA & sports)
• Occasionally listens to oldies
• Listens primarily to radio
• Has 2 radios: bathroom radio always on
• Likes the portability aspect while painting, driving
• Most meaningful: Photos

Mrs. M

Still working part-time, a lot of her music listening occurs at the office. At home, she primarily listens to music when doing chores. For enjoyment, the TV or Netflix is used instead.

• Has a limited CD collection: ~15 CDs
• Receives CDs as gifts (usually from her kids)
• Realizes limited sound quality with her current player
• Likes: “Repeat” feature
• Appreciated the portable aspect of her player
• Most meaningful: Photos

Mr. and Mrs. D

Both of them are retired but maintain active lifestyles. Goes to the gym often, and volunteers a lot as well. She primarily listens to CDs and occassionally listens to the radio.

• Has a limited CD collection: ~8 CDs
• Receives CDs as gifts (usually from her kids)
• Realizes limited sound quality with her current player
• Likes to listen to music in the background while she's doing things around the house
• Has mutliple players throughout the house so that she can hear it
• Most meaningful: Photos

Mr. and Mrs. C

Both of them are retired but maintain active lifestyles. Her husband lives in an assisted nursing home, and the wife brings him home twice a week. They enjoy listening to music together, and primarily listen to the radio.

• Has a limited CD collection:~15 CDs
• Appreciates the high sound quality from her current player
• Misses not being able to play music when she moves around the house (e.g. kitchen and porch)
• Most meaningful: Photos & paintings