Technologies That Matter
Project aims
Technologies That Matter explores how people with experience of care use technology in their everyday lives – and what this means for living a good life. It aims:
- To co-produce research into the lived experience of technology and care.
- To understand if and how people who receive care and support integrate technology into their everyday lives to enhance wellbeing.
- To develop evidence that helps policymakers, practitioners, and providers move beyond generalised narratives about ‘technology and care,’ towards approaches that are equitable, responsive, and grounded in lived experience.
- To share learning from our co-production journey to support other researchers, organisations, and communities engaging in similar work.
Research questions:
- What digital technologies are people using to live their best lives, and how and why are they using them?
- How do people adapt, blend, or reshape technologies to create outcomes that matter to them?
- Do these technologies open new opportunities, barriers, benefits, or risks?
- How do technologies shape family care relationships, paid care, and employment?
- Who can use technologies to live well, and who is left out or exposed to harm?
Working with our Design and Methods Group (including people with lived experience of care and support), we co-designed a longitudinal research approach that combines in-depth interviews, diaries and creative methods. Interviews and other data generation activities were completed mid-2025, and we are now in an extended analysis and outputs-development period.
A key area of collaboration has included the co-design of the ‘Mind the Gap: Tackling Digital Exclusion Board Game, which has been ‘on tour’ to various events. Members of the Design and Methods Group supported the development of the game and are part of expert panels at events where the game is played.
Outputs to date include:
- Pieroudis, K. Who asks the questions and who gets to answer? https://centreforcare.ac.uk/commentary/2023/07/who-asks-the-questions-who-gets-to-answer/
- https://centreforcare.ac.uk/mind-the-gap-tackling-digital-exclusion/
Related commentaries
Commentary pieces relating to Carer’s Allowance: Understanding complexity and inflexibility
We are delighted to virtually welcome Dr. Nicola Brimblecombe to present ‘Care and Place: older people’s housing and communities and their social care needs, care use, and care costs’ on Tuesday 13th January 2026. Register your place here!
Read More about Seminar: Care and Place: older people’s housing and communities and their social care needs, care use, and care costs
Dr. Maxine Watkins and Dr. Louise Overton report on the first study to apply subjective notions of financial wellbeing directly to the experience of care and caring and with an emphasis on capturing and understanding changes in carers’ financial lives over time.
Read More about The life course costs of caring: Understanding unpaid carers’ financial wellbeing over time
We welcomed Professor Catherine Needham and Dr. Emily Burn to present their research on 16th December 2025. Event recording now available.
Read More about Seminar: Professor Catherine Needham and Dr. Emily Burn
Centre for Care Impact Specialist, Fay Benskin, writes about our second Policy Breakfast event at the House of Commons in June, which focused on Carer’s Allowance reform.
Read More about Policy breakfast: Carer’s Allowance reform
Recent Publications
A selection of recent publications relevant to the Technologies That Matter project.
Members
The Technologies that Matter team is led by Dr. PJ Annand at the University of Sheffield.
