This presentation reports initial results from a series of focus groups run with older adults in York, UK. Participants were invited to bring along their favourite kitchen utensil and their least favourite. We talked about how they planned and prepared their meals and what technologies helped and hindered in the kitchen.

1. Challenging
Assumptions
Older people’s attitudes to technology and
cooking

2. Assumptions

3. Assumptions
1. Eat traditional meals

4. Assumptions
1. Eat traditional meals
2. Find shopping difficult

5. Assumptions
1. Eat traditional meals
2. Find shopping difficult
3. Have grip and lifting problems

6. Assumptions
1. Eat traditional meals
2. Find shopping difficult
3. Have grip and lifting problems
4. Have difficulties with modern kitchen technology

7. Assumptions
1. Eat traditional meals
2. Find shopping difficult
3. Have grip and lifting problems
4. Have difficulties with modern kitchen technology
5. Find cooking-for-one a problem

8. Participants

9. Participants
4 men, 11 women; 8 live alone, 7 with spouse

10. Participants
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
60-69 70-79 80+
Men Women
4 men, 11 women; 8 live alone, 7 with spouse

11. Participants
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
60-69 70-79 80+ 60-69 70-79 80+
Men Women Live alone With partner
4 men, 11 women; 8 live alone, 7 with spouse

12. Feedback and the future

13. Feedback and the future
Positive, enjoyable experience

14. Feedback and the future
Positive, enjoyable experience
Requests for updates about research

15. Feedback and the future
Positive, enjoyable experience
Requests for updates about research
Spontaneous recipe

16. Boring, traditional meals?

17. Boring, traditional meals?
“we like simple food, fairly traditional..maybe a
bit boring but satisfying”

18. Boring, traditional meals?
“we like simple food, fairly traditional..maybe a
bit boring but satisfying”
“I have a wok and being well travelled, that is
living overseas, then I eat what other people
think is exotic”

19. Soup, glorious soup

20. Soup, glorious soup
“light lunch, almost always homemade soup”

21. Soup, glorious soup
“light lunch, almost always homemade soup”
“I make a lot of soups so I’m starting with fresh vegetables”

22. Soup, glorious soup
“light lunch, almost always homemade soup”
“I make a lot of soups so I’m starting with fresh vegetables”
“things you can just throw together, like soups and
breads...”

23. Soup, glorious soup
“light lunch, almost always homemade soup”
“I make a lot of soups so I’m starting with fresh vegetables”
“things you can just throw together, like soups and
breads...”
“I make whatever I’ve got in the fridge, when things are
past their best I’ll make soup”

24. Soup, glorious soup
“light lunch, almost always homemade soup”
“I make a lot of soups so I’m starting with fresh vegetables”
“things you can just throw together, like soups and
breads...”
“I make whatever I’ve got in the fridge, when things are
past their best I’ll make soup”
“I think if you use left over then you get a different meal the
day after which is fascinating, soup if all else fails”

25. Soup saviour

26. Shopping - city living

27. Shopping - city living
“two good greengrocers, and butchers and a deli
so as I walk along I buy what looks good and
fresh on the day”

28. Shopping - city living
“two good greengrocers, and butchers and a deli
so as I walk along I buy what looks good and
fresh on the day”
“I’m still mobile and I have a vehicle, I can shop
wherever I fancy and so I do, it’s always fresh
food”

29. Shopping - country living
Village living and bus transport
Knee operations, walking with sticks

30. Grip and lifting problems
I’ve got “not very straight fingers, and haven’t
got much grip”
“I’ve got some grip, but you know, when you’re
on your own...”

31. Opening stuff

32. Opening stuff
“tops of milk bottles… tiny little grip breaks off
and end up attacking it with a knife”

33. Opening stuff
“tops of milk bottles… tiny little grip breaks off
and end up attacking it with a knife”
wine box seals and “that plastic thing on the top”
of wine bottles meaning you have to “scrabble
with the knife and then knife slips and cuts you”

34. Jar openers

35. Jar openers
“It’s brilliant, I think you’ve got to
concentrate while you use to do it properly”

36. Jar openers
“It’s brilliant, I think you’ve got to
concentrate while you use to do it properly”
“If you’ve got a husband you wouldn’t want
to use it because it’s fiddly...”

37. Vegetable peelers

38. Kitchen technology

39. Kitchen technology
“looking at scales is a nightmare, I always get it
wrong so I just prefer things I can judge”

40. Kitchen technology
“looking at scales is a nightmare, I always get it
wrong so I just prefer things I can judge”
“nowadays I use the microwave” to make
custard - sometimes make mistakes with the time

41. Cooking for one
“since I’ve been on my own I’ve been
experimenting more because I think that it
doesn’t matter, I’m only cooking for me...”

42. Cooking for one
“I do cook meals, I think they always did, even
when I was first on my own, and very lost, I was
always in the habit of having regular meals so I
kind of went on”

43. Cooking for one
Cooking for one is waste of resources
So cook for more and plan ahead

44. Findings
1. Meals are traditional & adventurous
2. Shopping is leisurely, fun & needs planning
3. Grip is a problems
4. Visual interfaces a problem
5. Cooking for one is liberating & needs planning

45. Limitations

46. Limitations
Self selected participants

47. Limitations
Self selected participants
Recruited from U3A, YOPA

48. Limitations
Self selected participants
Recruited from U3A, YOPA
Group dynamics

49. The end, of the beginning...