Towards Designing for (Dis)Trust in Technologies for Aging

2026-08-03

AI Summary

This study addresses the interplay of trust and distrust among older adults in technology use, particularly as shaped by insufficient transparency and perceived lack of control. Through a qualitative literature review and thematic analysis of empirical studies in human-computer interaction and gerontechnology, it reconceptualizes distrust not merely as absence of trust but as an active boundary practice. The work reveals the temporal and fluid nature of trust and identifies three constitutive mechanisms: informational invisibility, shifting usage experiences, and boundary maintenance. Building on these insights, the study proposes design strategies that enhance the perceptibility of information flows, offering concrete, actionable pathways to support trust in technologies for older adults. These approaches aim to strengthen user autonomy, transparency, and sense of control, thereby fostering more inclusive and empowering technological interactions.

Abstract

Across cohorts of older adults and generations of technology, (dis)trust has continued to shape the acceptance of technologies for aging. Yet, we still know little about if or how to design for older adults' distrust in technology. Towards this, we reviewed empirical studies in which older adults discussed trust and distrust in relation to technology. Our analysis shows that (dis)trust is constituted in three key ways: emerges when material arrangements of digital systems become illegible, such as when older adults cannot determine where information is stored or trace its movement; is temporally constituted and fluid, building and shifting through prior experience and breakdowns, and at times distrust can operate as boundary work through which individuals limit technology's reach into their autonomy, relationships, and everyday lives. Our work yields design directions for supporting trust across different phases of technology use and by designing systems that make the movement and persistence of information more perceptible.

Problem

• trust
• distrust
• aging
• technology design
• older adults

Innovation

• (dis)trust
• design for aging
• information legibility
• boundary work
• technology acceptance