We are looking for people aged 65+ to participate in an in-person focus group workshop (lasting up to 90 minutes) on campus at UofM, or when special arrangements have been made, at retirement homes or community centres in the Winnipeg area. During the session we will present an interactive data dashboard that enables exploration of Statistics Canada data related to caregiving in Canada. In the focus group part of the session (the first 45 minutes) we will demonstrate various aspects of this data dashboard and participants will be encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback. Then, in the workshop part of the session, participants will be given the opportunity to explore the data dashboard themselves on computers that we provide. We will be there to provide assistance and answer questions, so participants don’t need any prior experience working with data dashboards at all. At the end of the session we will ask you to fill out a very brief survey about your experience. Our research goal is to understand the types of exploration older adults want to engage in and to learn how to make such dashboards more user-friendly for older adults.

The focus group will be audio recorded, and during the workshop part of the study, the researchers will take observation notes. You must consent to the audio recording and note-taking in order to participate in the study. The audio recording will be transcribed and anonymized, so in the transcription participants will be referred to as P1, P2, etc. The researcher observation notes will also use these IDs rather than participant names. The survey will also ask you to enter a participant ID that we give you, so that your name is not stored with your survey responses. All of this is done to protect your privacy.

We ask all participants to protect the confidentiality of others and to refrain from repeating what other participants have said once the study is over. It is important to note that due to the group nature of this study, we cannot guarantee that what you say will not be repeated by other participants, so we encourage you not to divulge private personal information during the focus group workshop session.

Eligibility Criteria:

To participate in this study, you must meet the following requirements:

1. Be age 65+
2. Be willing to  participate in an audio-recorded focus group
3. Be able to accept compensation via e-transfer

For focus groups taking place on campus, parking tokens will be provided in addition to the $30 compensation.

Your participation in this study is voluntary. You may withdraw at any time without consequences, and you may also refuse to answer any questions you do not want to answer and still remain in the focus group workshop. If you wish to withdraw after the focus group has already started, you can do so and still keep the $30 transferred to you.

We will conduct multiple focus groups (with a maximum of 6 participants in any single focus group) throughout the duration of this research project. In cases where focus groups are held at Retirement Homes or Community Centre, this will happen with scheduling help from facilitators at those locations.

This research is being conducted under the supervision of Dr. Celine Latulipe, from the Human Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Manitoba. Participants will be compensated with CAD $30 e-transfer at the beginning of the study session. More details about the study are found in the consent form, linked below.

We hope to publish our findings in a conference or journal about technology and older adults. If you have any questions, please reach out to Pritha Das at: dasp4@myumanitoba.ca.

This research has been approved by the University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board, Fort Garry Campus. If you have any concerns or complaints about this project you may contact any of the above-named persons or the Human Ethics Coordinator at 204-474-7122 or humanethics@umanitoba.ca.