Designing AI-driven augmented living spaces with spatial augmented reality to support the autonomy of individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Aging societies are facing rising rates of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), which calls for digital assistance that preserves autonomy rather than reinforcing dependency. We propose enhanced living environments, a concept leveraging Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) and context-aware decision support. Such environments provide in-situ, object-anchored cues that adapt and fade as competence grows. Based on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development as our kernel theory, we have developed a set of prescriptive design principles that operationalize scaffolding, intersubjectivity, and semiotic mediation for everyday cognitive support. Using a theory-driven BAUSTEIN configuration within the Design Science Research paradigm, we derive design principles from kernel theory mechanisms, practical foundations (including focus group and observational insights), and relevant literature. Then, we instantiate the design principles in a prototypical scenario for evaluation with experts and our target group of aMCI individuals. A two-strand evaluation with ex-ante and ex-post episodes indicates that projected, just-in-time guidance is perceived as intuitive, nonpatronizing, and cognitively relieving. The set of design principles is also judged useful, clear, and transferable beyond the prototype. Our contribution is design knowledge grounded in mechanisms for autonomy-supportive digital health decision support systems, comprising concise design principles that can guide SAR-enabled, context-aware assistance toward safety without surveillance and help without dependency, thereby providing a practical path to extend independent living.