Abstract

Purpose: Although the importance of non-physical inclusivity has been recognised in inclusive design, the current understanding of psychosocial aspects in inclusive design is currently limited, disjointed and unstructured. This study reports a study of supermarket shopping experience of older individuals, designed and conducted to explore the concept of psychosocial aspects in older individuals’ supermarket shopping experience by identifying any possible psychosocial components. Empirical investigation i.e. non-participant observation was conducted with eight participants aged 60 and over. The results from the observational investigation were analysed and validated via multiple coding steps and multiple coders. Findings suggest four major dimensions including ‘cognitive’, ‘emotional’, ‘social’, and ‘value’ factors. These four factors define and affect psychosocial inclusivity of older adults’ supermarket shopping experience. Each factor is further detailed with a series of sub-themes, and key aspects in regard to each dimension are highlighted.

Keywords

psychosocial inclusivity, inclusive design, accessibility, supermarket shopping, shopping experience, older individuals, observation

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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Jun 25th, 12:00 AM

Beyond Accessible Aisles? Psychosocial Inclusivity of Shopping Experience: an ethnographic investigation

Purpose: Although the importance of non-physical inclusivity has been recognised in inclusive design, the current understanding of psychosocial aspects in inclusive design is currently limited, disjointed and unstructured. This study reports a study of supermarket shopping experience of older individuals, designed and conducted to explore the concept of psychosocial aspects in older individuals’ supermarket shopping experience by identifying any possible psychosocial components. Empirical investigation i.e. non-participant observation was conducted with eight participants aged 60 and over. The results from the observational investigation were analysed and validated via multiple coding steps and multiple coders. Findings suggest four major dimensions including ‘cognitive’, ‘emotional’, ‘social’, and ‘value’ factors. These four factors define and affect psychosocial inclusivity of older adults’ supermarket shopping experience. Each factor is further detailed with a series of sub-themes, and key aspects in regard to each dimension are highlighted.

 

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