Intergenerational Codesign of Immersive Technology for a Heritage Site and Underwater VR Experience

The development of immersive Extended Reality (XR) applications tailored for older adults remains a significant challenge, even amidst rapid technological advancements. Neglecting to account for the specific needs and requirements of endusers in the design process can result in reduced adoption rates or a total lack of engagement. We present findings and recommendations for building immersive experiences for older adults by exploring the similarities and differences encountered during the development of two immersive XR applications, with a specific focus on cultural heritage and underwater telepresence. The application development followed a monthly, iterative approach, integrating rapid prototyping for a total of 16 intergenerational codesign workshops, with 24 older adults and 12 younger adults codesign participants. The findings indicate that immersive experiences for older adults have significant potential to effectively
recreate cultural heritage sites or underwater environments in XR. However, achieving this requires the implementation of simplified and intuitive locomotion and interaction mechanisms, facilitated through a streamlined and simplified control scheme. In addition, accessibility and affordability together with comfort in using the immersive hardware and minimising hand strain when holding the controllers are priorities for older age codesign participants.