In progress

Adults with Down syndrome (AwDS) increasingly engage with digital technologies, yet little is known about the specific tools they use and why some are discontinued. To address this gap, we piloted a modular, image-supported survey with 15 AwDS across 11 U.S. states. The survey, which took 60–90 minutes to complete, captured adoption, frequency of use, usability, and discontinuation across 30 technology categories. Our analysis revealed several trends: (1) high adoption of smartphones, messaging apps, and weather apps; (2) low usage of educational and financial tools, as well as virtual reality headsets, augmentative and alternative communication devices, and smartwatches; and (3) discontinuation that was more common for hardware than software, often linked to shifting needs, broken or shared devices, or the need for support. While participants reported interest in using technology for learning, communication, and daily living, fewer expressed interest in work-related tools. This study demonstrates the feasibility of self-reported technology research with AwDS and highlights opportunities for designing familiar and flexible tools to meet evolving needs.

The full survey structure and flow included the following components: (1) Informational page describing participation requirements; (2) Three screening questions; (3) A step-by-step pictorial consent form designed to ensure informed participation; (4) 12 randomized hardware technology usage question blocks.; (5) 18 randomized software technology usage question blocks.; (6) Open-ended responses on technology needs, allowing participants to express their preferences and challenges; (7) Skill experience assessment, measuring self-reported abilities in reading, writing, spelling, typing, math, and speech; (8) Screening recheck to ensure consistent eligibility responses; (9) Demographic information and payment.

Corresponding images accompanied each question about specific technologies to ensure clarity and reduce potential misinterpretation of the referenced technology. The hardware technology questions followed a structured flow: (1) Participants were first asked, ``Have you ever used [technology] before?’’ Based on their response, they either proceeded to step 2 or moved on to the next technology category; (2) Participants selected from a list of specific technologies, each with an image, to indicate whether they currently use, previously used, or never used the technology. Additional open-ended questions allowed them to list technologies not included in the predefined list. Those selecting “Currently use it” completed steps 3-5, while those selecting “Used it in the past” moved to step 6. If participants selected both, they completed steps 3-6. (3) A 2-item True/False scale regarding technology ownership and sharing (e.g., “I own my own [technology].” and “I share a [technology].”); (4) A 5-item, 5-point Likert scale inspired by the Simplified System Usability Scale (S-SUS) \cite{holden2020simplified} to assess perceived usability; (5) A 7-point frequency scale captured how often participants used the technology; and (6) A 7-item True/False scale to identify reasons for discontinuation. The software technology questions followed a similar structure; however, step 3 was removed, and step 6 used a 6-item 5-point Likert scale instead of True/False to better capture nuanced reasoning for discontinued software use.