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During the pre-design phase of supportive intelligent systems, interviews with future users, such as people with dementia, aim to explore the problems for which technology may present a solution. However, interviewing someone with dementia in this unstructured design phase is reported to be challenging resulting in systems that are not truly addressing the needs of the people with dementia. Existing guidelines on creating engaging interviews are often based on post-hoc reflections of researchers and participants. In this study we performed line-to-line sequential in-depth analyses on transcripts of 10 interviews conducted to co-design an interactive intelligent gaming system. Both interviewers and interviewees were subsequently asked to reflect on their experiences. Results show that information exchange with people with dementia can be supported by carefully constructed questions, well-designed probes, and an appropriate length of the interview. To create a pleasant atmosphere during the interviews, researchers should design the interview as a fulfilling experience, be prepared to respond respectfully to negative responses and be able to adapt to different signs of consent. Improving the engagement with people with dementia during interviews can enhance the design and development of intelligent systems that cater to their unique challenges and requirements.

Although there are promising benefits of supportive technology in dementia care, use of these technologies is still limited. It is challenging for researchers and developers in this field to actively involve people with dementia in development. This review updates and builds on existing knowledge by including a contemporary and relevant perspective. This perspective was gained by including search words and search databases from the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Design, as these fields were expected to supply novel insights in the complex task of actively involving people with dementia in developing supportive technologies. A total of 49 out of 3456 studies were included which describe the development of a great variety of technologies. Often people with dementia were involved in the generative or evaluative phase of the development. Interviews and observations were most commonly used methods. In seven articles the people with dementia were co-designers. This literature review reflects that people with dementia can influence the development of technology in regards to content, design, and even the initial idea, although the impact on how they experience their own involvement remains largely unknown. There is a lack of specific knowledge on appropriate methods and materials for active involvement of people with dementia in supportive technology development, even when including articles from the field of HCI and Design. Future research is needed to further appreciate and improve the desired role of people with dementia in meaningful technology development.