Assistive technology is often compared by looking at features.
Does the device have GPS? Automatic fall detection? Voice activation? Remote monitoring? A mobile app? Medication reminders? Multiple contact options?
These features may all have value. However, a long list of capabilities does not necessarily make a product more suitable for the person who will use it.
The real test is much simpler:
Will the client understand it, accept it and use it when they need it?
A device can be technically advanced and still fail in everyday life. It may require too many steps, depend on a charging routine the client cannot maintain or produce alerts they do not understand. It may work well during a supervised demonstration but become confusing when the person is tired, anxious or alone.
For occupational therapists, the goal is not to recommend the product with the most features. It is to find the simplest reliable solution that enables the person to complete a meaningful activity, manage a risk or remain independent.
Assistive technology only works when it becomes part of everyday life
The World Health Organization defines assistive technology broadly, covering products and related systems and services that support areas such as mobility, communication, cognition, hearing, vision and self-care.
The purpose is not to introduce more technology into someone’s life for its own sake. It is to support functioning, participation, wellbeing and inclusion.
That outcome depends on what happens after the assessment.
Does the client use the shower chair every morning?
Do they wear their personal alarm when they go into the garden?
Can they operate the phone when their hands are stiff?
Will they remember to charge the device?
Can they recover if they press the wrong button?
Do they know what will happen after an alert is activated?
A successful recommendation must survive the ordinary realities of the person’s day. That includes rushed mornings, poor sleep, changes in routine, fluctuating symptoms, low confidence and the occasional mistake.
If a product is too difficult to use consistently, its advanced features provide little practical benefit.
More features can create more work for the user
Every additional function may introduce another decision, instruction or maintenance task.
A feature may require the user to:
- Remember when to use it
- Navigate another menu
- Recognise a symbol or sound
- Enter a password
- Respond to a notification
- Keep an app updated
- Maintain an internet connection
- Charge an additional component
- Decide between several modes
- Understand what happens when something goes wrong
None of these requirements is automatically unreasonable. For one client, they may be easy and useful. For another, they may become barriers to use.
Complexity is not determined only by the number of buttons on a device. It is created by the interaction between the product, the person, the task and the environment.
A device with several functions may feel simple to someone who is comfortable with technology and uses similar products every day. A device with only one or two controls may still be difficult for someone with reduced vision, poor hand strength or an unfamiliar charging system.
This is why feature lists should inform an assessment—not drive it.
Start with the outcome, not the product
A common mistake is beginning the assessment with a particular type of device already in mind.
A more useful starting point is the occupation, risk or participation goal the client wants to address.
For example:
- “I want to shower without waiting for my daughter to arrive.”
- “I want to continue walking to the local shops.”
- “I am worried I will not be able to reach the phone after a fall.”
- “I keep forgetting whether I have taken my morning medicine.”
- “I want to prepare my own meals without struggling to open containers.”
- “I want to get out of my chair without someone pulling me up.”
- “I want my family to worry less without checking on me all day.”
These statements provide more direction than asking whether the client wants a particular product.
Once the intended outcome is clear, the occupational therapist can identify the minimum functions required to support it.
This helps separate essential features from those that are simply available.
Simplicity is personal
Simple does not mean basic, old-fashioned or lacking in capability.
It means that the product makes sense to the person using it.
For one client, a familiar telephone with large buttons may be the simplest way to maintain contact. For another, voice-activated calling may remove the difficulty of reading numbers or handling a handset.
One person may prefer a pendant with a single SOS button. Another may be more likely to wear a watch because it looks familiar and fits naturally into their routine.
A written medication chart may work well for someone who enjoys checking off tasks. Another person may respond better to an automatic dispenser with audible reminders.
The same product can be simple for one person and complicated for another.
Simplicity therefore needs to be assessed across several areas:
- Physical operation
- Cognitive demands
- Sensory accessibility
- Emotional response
- Daily routines
- Environmental requirements
- Maintenance
- Support from family or carers
- The consequences of user error
The best solution is the one that reduces effort without introducing a different problem.
Look at the client’s most difficult day
Assistive technology is often demonstrated under ideal conditions.
The room is quiet. The client is seated comfortably. The occupational therapist is present. The product is fully charged and someone is available to explain each step.
That is not necessarily how the product will be used.
A personal alarm may be needed after a frightening fall. A mobility aid may be used when the client is tired. A medication reminder may sound while the person is distracted. A communication device may be needed when symptoms are at their worst.
When assessing usability, consider whether the product can be used on a difficult day, not only during the client’s best performance.
Ask:
- Can the client operate it when tired or in pain?
- Can it be used in low light?
- What happens if the client is not wearing their glasses?
- Can it be activated with reduced hand strength?
- Will anxiety make the instructions difficult to remember?
- Can it be used from the floor?
- What happens if the client presses the wrong control?
- Can the client tell whether the action was successful?
- Does the product still work if the internet or power is unavailable?
- Is another person required to reset or troubleshoot it?
This kind of assessment can reveal problems that are not obvious during a standard demonstration.
Count the steps required
One practical way to assess simplicity is to count every action between recognising a need and achieving the intended outcome.
Consider a client who needs to call for assistance.
The process might involve:
- Locating the device.
- Waking the screen.
- Unlocking it.
- Opening an application.
- Finding the correct contact.
- Selecting the right call option.
- Waiting for the call to connect.
- Explaining where they are.
Each step creates another opportunity for delay or error.
A more suitable option may allow the person to press one clearly identifiable button and begin communicating with a nominated contact or monitoring service.
This does not mean every activity must be reduced to one action. It means unnecessary steps should be recognised and questioned.
For each step, ask:
- Is this action essential?
- Is it easy to remember?
- Can the client complete it reliably?
- Is the feedback clear?
- What happens if the step is missed?
- Can the process be simplified?
Reducing steps can be especially important when the technology is intended for emergencies.
Pay attention to feedback
Clients need to know whether they have used a device correctly.
Good feedback might include:
- A clear tone after a button is pressed
- A light showing that charging has started
- A spoken confirmation
- A visible change on the screen
- A message confirming that help has been contacted
- A simple indicator showing the current operating mode
Feedback should be noticeable without being alarming or confusing.
A client may repeatedly press a button if they are unsure whether the first press worked. Alternatively, they may assume a request has been sent when the device has not activated.
During a trial, ask the client what they think is happening at each stage. Do not rely only on whether they completed the task successfully.
Their explanation can reveal uncertainty that might otherwise be missed.
Consider the maintenance burden
Some products are simple to operate but difficult to maintain.
The client may be expected to:
- Charge the device every day
- Replace batteries
- Clean sensors
- Update software
- Maintain a mobile or internet service
- Test the equipment regularly
- Check indicator lights
- Refill a dispenser
- Replace consumable parts
- Arrange repairs
- Remember where accessories are stored
These responsibilities form part of the intervention.
If a client cannot maintain the product independently, identify who will help and how often. Avoid assuming that a family member or support worker will automatically take responsibility.
Ask whether the maintenance routine fits naturally into something the client already does. A watch may be charged beside the bed overnight. A mobile alarm may be placed in its charger during a regular evening routine. A weekly test might be completed during a scheduled family visit.
If the maintenance plan is unrealistic, the product may eventually stop working even if the client initially likes it.
Avoid designing around the family’s confidence alone
Family members often play an important role in selecting and maintaining assistive technology. Their concerns should be heard, particularly when they provide regular care or may need to respond to an emergency.
However, a product that reassures the family may still be unsuitable for the person expected to use it.
A family may prefer a system with continuous monitoring, several alerts and remote access. The client may experience the same features as intrusive, confusing or unnecessary.
If the client feels watched or controlled, they may switch the device off, leave it at home or refuse to use it.
The assessment should explore:
- What concerns the client?
- What concerns the family?
- Where do those concerns differ?
- Which information will be shared?
- Who will receive notifications?
- What will happen after an alert?
- How much privacy does the client want?
- Which decisions can the client make independently?
The aim is to develop a solution that supports safety without unnecessarily reducing autonomy.
Consider dignity, appearance and identity
Assistive technology becomes part of how a person moves through the world.
A product may be clinically appropriate but rejected because the client feels it makes them look frail, draws unwanted attention or does not fit their identity.
This is not a superficial concern.
If someone dislikes the appearance or meaning of a device, they are less likely to wear or use it consistently.
Ask the client:
- Would you be comfortable using this around other people?
- Where would you keep or wear it?
- Does it fit with the clothing you normally wear?
- Would you take it when visiting friends?
- What would you say if someone asked about it?
- Does it feel like something that supports independence or something imposed on you?
Choices such as colour, wearing position and product style can make a significant difference to acceptance.
A client may choose a wrist-worn alarm rather than a pendant, a discreet medication organiser rather than an audible dispenser or a walking stick that looks less clinical.
Whenever possible, offer meaningful options rather than presenting one product as the only acceptable choice.
Observe the client using the product in context
A verbal explanation is not enough to establish that a client can use a device.
Ask them to demonstrate the complete task in the environment where it will normally happen.
For example:
- Use the personal alarm from the bedroom, bathroom and garden
- Move through doorways with the walking frame
- Prepare an actual drink using the adapted equipment
- Read the display under normal household lighting
- Put the device on and take it off without assistance
- Place it on charge at the usual time
- Respond to a reminder while completing another task
- Practise the process family members will follow after an alert
Observation may identify environmental barriers, competing routines or misunderstandings that do not appear during conversation.
It is also important to let the client make ordinary mistakes. If the occupational therapist immediately corrects every error, there is no opportunity to see whether the product helps the person recover independently.
Use a feature hierarchy
When comparing products, it can help to divide features into four groups.
Essential features
These are required to address the client’s identified goal or risk.
Examples might include:
- A button the client can physically activate
- Volume the client can hear
- Compatibility with the home environment
- Enough range for the garden
- A stable base for transfers
- A display the client can read
- A reliable method of contacting help
Without these features, the product does not meet the assessed need.
Helpful features
These improve usability or provide additional support but are not necessary for the main outcome.
Examples might include:
- Voice prompts
- A choice of wearing options
- Charging reminders
- Location information
- Adjustable volume
- A caregiver notification
Optional features
These may be interesting but are unlikely to change whether the client achieves the goal.
They should not be allowed to increase cost or complexity without a clear reason.
Potentially burdensome features
These create additional demands or introduce risks that may outweigh their benefit.
Examples include:
- Frequent alerts the client does not understand
- Complicated menus
- Small touch controls
- Unnecessary passwords
- Multiple operating modes
- Reliance on an unreliable internet connection
- Charging requirements that do not suit the routine
This hierarchy makes it easier to compare products according to the client’s needs rather than the length of their feature lists.
Do not confuse automation with simplicity
Automatic features can reduce the actions required from the client, but automation is not always simple.
An automatic function may create false alerts, require complicated setup or make it difficult for the client to understand what the device is doing.
It may also create a false sense of security.
Automatic fall detection is a useful example. It can provide another way for an alert to be raised, particularly if the wearer is unconscious or unable to reach the SOS button. However, no automatic system can identify every type of fall.
A slow slide from a chair or a fall without a clear change in height may not produce the movement pattern required to activate an alert. Clients and families still need to understand when and how to press the manual SOS button.
Automation should support a clear safety plan. It should not replace client education or realistic discussion about the technology’s limitations.
Personal alarms show why usability matters
Personal alarms often combine several useful capabilities, but the central purpose remains straightforward: helping a person contact assistance when they cannot easily reach a phone.
For occupational therapists, the most important questions are not simply whether an alarm includes GPS, fall detection or professional monitoring.
The assessment should also consider:
- Will the client wear it consistently?
- Can they press the button?
- Can they hear or understand the response?
- Does it work in the places they normally spend time?
- Can they remember to charge or test it?
- Who should be contacted?
- Does the client understand what happens after activation?
- Is a pendant, watch or in-home system more likely to fit their routine?
- Is automatic fall detection being treated as additional support rather than a guarantee?
- Can the client practise using it before an emergency occurs?
A person who mainly moves between the home and garden may need something different from someone who walks to the shops, drives or regularly attends community activities.
The CareAlert Health Care Hub provides information for occupational therapists, aged care providers and other health professionals comparing personal alarm options and pathways for clients.
CareAlert offers an in-home alarm with a wearable pendant, as well as mobile GPS alarms and an Emergency Watch for people who spend time away from home. The most suitable option depends on the client’s activities, preferred wearing style, ability to manage charging and the type of response they want.
The useful question is not, “Which model has the most technology?”
It is, “Which option is this person most likely to use correctly every day?”
Training should use the client’s own words
Product training can easily become too technical.
Instructions copied from a manual may be accurate but difficult to remember. Long explanations can also make a relatively simple product feel intimidating.
Focus first on what the client needs to do most often.
For example:
- “Wear this before you leave the bedroom.”
- “Press this button if you need help.”
- “When someone answers, speak normally.”
- “Place it here to charge each night.”
- “This light means it is charging.”
- “Test it with your daughter every first Monday of the month.”
Use the client’s preferred language and familiar terms. Demonstrate one task at a time, then ask the client to teach it back.
Written instructions should be:
- Short
- Specific
- Large enough to read
- Placed where the task occurs
- Supported by pictures when useful
- Limited to the controls the client actually needs
Family members and support workers should receive consistent instructions so they do not unintentionally introduce different routines.
Follow-up is part of the intervention
A successful trial does not guarantee successful long-term use.
The client’s routine may change. A family member may stop providing support. The product may be moved, forgotten or left uncharged. A minor difficulty may gradually become a reason not to use it.
Follow-up should explore actual use rather than simply asking whether everything is fine.
Useful questions include:
- When did you last use or test it?
- Where is it kept overnight?
- Are you wearing it when you shower or go outside?
- Has it been difficult to charge?
- Have there been any accidental activations?
- Have you stopped using any part of it?
- Is there anything you expected it to do that it does not do?
- Do your emergency contacts still know what to do?
- Has your health, mobility or routine changed?
Australia’s current Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Scheme guidelines recognise that assistive technology may require wraparound services. These can include delivery, setup, training, follow-up, repairs and maintenance.
This is important because the product itself is only one part of the outcome. How it is introduced, practised and reviewed can determine whether it remains useful.
Document why the simpler option is clinically appropriate
A more expensive or highly featured product is not automatically easier to justify.
Clinical reasoning should connect the recommendation to:
- The client’s stated goals
- Functional abilities
- Identified risks
- Relevant environments
- Daily routines
- Trial results
- The minimum necessary features
- Training requirements
- Maintenance responsibilities
- Plans for review
If a simpler product meets the need more reliably, document why.
For example:
“The client successfully activated the device from the floor using her dominant hand, understood the confirmation prompt and independently returned it to the charger. A touchscreen model was trialled but required multiple steps and could not be operated reliably without glasses.”
This demonstrates that simplicity is not a shortcut. It is the result of considered assessment.
Under the Australian Government’s AT-HM scheme, older people should participate actively in decisions about the products and services they receive. Providers are expected to consider their needs and preferences so supports remain individualised and relevant.
A recommendation that the client understands and accepts is more consistent with person-centred practice than one based primarily on technical capability.
A simplicity checklist for occupational therapists
Before recommending assistive technology, consider whether:
- The client can explain what the product is for
- The product addresses a clearly identified goal
- Essential controls are easy to see and operate
- The number of required steps is manageable
- Feedback is clear after each important action
- The client can use it on a difficult day
- It works in the client’s usual environments
- The client is comfortable with its appearance
- Charging and maintenance fit the daily routine
- Someone has responsibility for tasks the client cannot manage
- The client can recover from common errors
- Family members understand their role
- Privacy expectations have been discussed
- Automatic features and limitations have been explained
- Training has included practical demonstration
- Written instructions are short and accessible
- The client has practised without prompting
- Follow-up has been arranged
- The selected features provide genuine benefit
- A simpler option has been considered
If several answers are uncertain, the product may need further trial, modification or comparison with another option.
The best technology is often the one that disappears into the routine
Assistive technology should make an activity easier, safer or more achievable. It should not become another difficult task for the client to manage.
Occupational therapists bring an important perspective to this process because they look beyond the product itself. They consider the person, the environment, the activity and the meaning attached to using the equipment.
Features still matter. GPS, reminders, automatic alerts, monitoring and remote access can all be valuable when they respond to an identified need.
But more is not always better.
The strongest recommendation is often the one that asks the least of the client while providing the support they genuinely need.
When technology is easy to understand, fits naturally into existing routines and preserves the person’s sense of control, it is more likely to be accepted and used.
That is the kind of simplicity that supports real independence.