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Vol.30 No.4, October 1998
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Vol.30 No.4, October 1998 |
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The proportion of the world's population that is over age 60 has grown dramatically and continues to increase. The World Health Organization estimates that, by the year 2020, 24% of Europeans will fall into this age group, along with 23% of North Americans and 17% of East Asians [4]. Furthermore, at least in Europe, older people tend to have more per capita income than younger people do, making them an important market for consumer products.
This growing segment of the population is increasingly exposed to computers and various forms of computer technology, both from interest and from necessity [2].
Finally, older adults do have unique usability needs. For example, older people had more trouble finding information in a Web site than younger people [1]. Older mouse users found it more difficult to hit targets, though this effect could be reduced with design interventions [3]. Aging can particularly affect how consumers use industrial designs. Fortunately, designs created to make technology accessible to older users often have some benefit for younger users as well (e.g., [3]).
For these reasons, it is critical that the HCI community understand how aging affects computer usability. Towards that end, on April 21, 1998, we conducted a Special Interest Group (SIG) devoted to issues of aging and use of technology. The goal of this SIG was to bring designers together with researchers in the field of aging and human factors, in order to share knowledge and discuss issues in real-world interface design.
Aside from the organizers, this SIG included roughly 30 participants, both researchers and designers, of whom about half had experienced issues related to aging. It began with brief presentations from organizers Beth Meyer and Wendy Rogers, summarizing differences between younger and older adults and evidence that older adults do use new technology. Then Greg Grace of Siemens described current research initiatives, reasons for considering older adults in design, and factors to consider in marketing products to older adults.
After this introduction, the discussion focused on specific design issues encountered by the attendees, potential design solutions, and techniques for ensuring that products are usable for all ages. Each of these discussions began with a brief presentation by Greg Grace, after which participants contributed their own issues and comments. At the end of the session, organizers distributed a handout listing design guidelines and useful sources of further information. (Resources from the SIG can be obtained by contacting Beth Meyer.)
SIG participants described the following design issues and solution ideas:
Some designers can ignore the needs of older users, knowing that, if the product is too difficult, these users can choose not to use it. However, for some devices such as blood glucometers, use is mandatory -- and misuse can be dangerous.
Often, older adults are interested in using new technology, but expect someone to teach them how to do it -- while designers expect them to just figure it out on their own. Many older adults do not feel confident about their ability to do this. One way to address this issue would be to provide better and more structured training, perhaps in the form of books or step-by-step tutorials.
An older adult participating in the SIG reported that, when confronted with new technology, he often asked "What do I gain from learning how to use this?" He was willing to invest the effort in learning new ways to perform tasks, but only if there was a substantial benefit to him. Because new learning can be effortful for older adults, they may be unlikely to adopt technology simply because it exists.
This seems to be where marketing has somehow failed -- there is a gap between what the technology affords and what older non-users are aware that computers can do. There are some genuine social support benefits to computer technology that we often don't realize, particularly for those older adults who spend a lot of time at home alone. Access to the Internet at home could reduce depression and feelings of isolation. If we could capture and communicate the positive experiences of some older users, others might take advantage of computer technology. To gain the interest of older adults, marketing should focus more on what the technology can do for consumers, rather than technical specifications or vague generalities (e.g., "Our computer is really powerful").
However, there is also an issue of creating a demand for something that some older adults can't afford. A researcher reported an issue with a field study that would give older adults access to computers -- while the computers were owned by the research organization, it seemed almost unethical to take them back from the participants at the end of the study.
An employee of the U.S. Treasury Department noted that many older adults do not use Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), preferring to receive paper checks. They have expressed a lack of trust in this form of technology.
When older adults are unfamiliar with how computers work and do not have extensive experience with them, they tend to express a heightened fear of "breaking" the system. In fact, in most areas of performance, one sees a tendency to become more conservative with age -- that is, to avoid risks, to focus more on avoiding errors than on other factors such as speed. This fear of breaking something makes people less likely to learn by experimenting with the system, and more concerned with getting step-by-step instruction. Not only can training interventions provide this sort of instruction for the basic tasks; training can also give older adults a better idea of what will and will not harm the system, so that they can feel freer to experiment within certain constraints.
Attitudes of younger adults towards older adults also can contribute to problems. Older adults must cope with "ageism" from younger people, such as the stereotype that older adults are unwilling and unable to learn anything new at all. (Older women experience the powerful combination of ageism and sexism.) When younger people assume that older people can never be competent with technology, solely because of age, it can naturally affect their confidence of the older people. Yet, in many domains, older people have vast knowledge and experience to contribute.
Many older adults are introduced to computers when their children buy new computers and give them the old ones. As a result, many older adults are working with outdated technology that may be even harder to use than more up-to-date machines.
Many older adults who have never used a computer suddenly receive gifts of new computers or WebTV's from their children, for the purpose of corresponding via e-mail. Suddenly, they must learn a vast number of skills all at once -- how to use the keyboard and mouse, basic computer concepts such as storing files, basic word processing concepts such as paragraph formatting, use of user interface tools such as scroll bars, and the various ways of using the Internet. People who have gradually learned about each new development in computing may not realize what a difficult task this is.
Furthermore, instruction geared more towards younger people might not be carefully ordered and integrated. Different concepts may be presented in a nearly-random jumble, with the relationships between concepts and skills left to the learner to deduce. This sort of instruction requires the learner to keep many ideas in mind at once, one of the very abilities that tends to decline significantly in old age. An older adult who attended the SIG reported that he had no problems learning many new concepts, if they were presented in a clear and logical order with the relationships explained at each transition. Simply skipping back and forth from one topic to another, however, would be very confusing.
SIG participants reported that even intelligent and educated older people were treated like children in some training classes, because their normal declines in short-term memory meant that they could not remember as many things at once as their younger peers. Some trainers would attribute this difference in performance to incompetence in the older adults, rather than to the memory load imposed by the training materials. This shows a lack of respect for the abilities of older adults, including those abilities that usually remain intact (e.g., knowledge of facts, vocabulary, and previously developed skills). Training materials that clearly explain each transition and all relationships, that provide external memory aids, and that capitalize on pre-existing knowledge can help training to succeed with all ages.
A related issue is the large amount of jargon related to computer use. Most older adults have more extensive vocabularies than younger adults, acquired through years of social interaction. Yet, rather than relying on this extensive knowledge, older adults must struggle with unfamiliar terminology when they begin using computers.
Also, for many older adults, there is a lack of social support for learning. They could receive a computer as a gift from their children, but then there may not be anyone in their own circle of friends with whom they can consult. SIG participants suggested several ways of getting older computer learners in touch with more experienced computer users in their community. Just as certain lines of products are marketed through social events at the seller's home, senior organizations could promote parties centered on computer use. The host, a more experienced older computer user, could demonstrate how to write a letter or browse the World Wide Web. To some extent, this is already taking place informally. Many of those older adults who started using computers early on are now tutoring their friends who are computer novices.
Greg Grace presented examples of telephone designs that had been created for older adults, with varying success. In one, the designers were concerned for the visibility of the buttons but did not consider the product's aesthetics. The resulting phone with enormous buttons looked terrible, and would probably only be purchased by users with very serious visual or motor impediments. At Siemens, they found that products must look good before consumers of any age would purchase them. Fortunately, they found that they could balance concerns of usability and aesthetics, producing a phone with a sleek set of buttons that were still large and clear enough to be easy for most older adults to use. Aesthetic and usability concerns can be successfully balanced. As one participant commented, "It's a myth that universal designs cost more and are less aesthetically pleasing."
However, this trade-off can create tension, particularly between usability experts and marketers. One principle that has consistently proven true, particularly with older users, is that people perform better (at least initially) when icons are labeled with text than when they are not. Yet, icons usually appear without text for the sake of appearance. For one software package that was popular with older adults, text labels on icons aided performance so much that even the marketing department reluctantly agreed to include them.
Many user interface changes that significantly benefit older adults can already be implemented by changing options, or could easily be given as an option. For example, it can be difficult for older users to control a mouse, particularly if they have acquired a slight tremor. Simply reducing the speed of the mouse can greatly improve most older users' performance with it. Yet, most interfaces do not clearly show that this is possible. Similarly, products could provide options to turn off dynamic menus (also a difficult motor control problem) and add text labels to icons. Again, it is important not only to provide these helpful options, but communicate that they are available. At the ASSETS '98 conference, the ACM conference on assistive technologies held the previous week, there had been a product with an adaptive interface that suggested accessibility options based on observed performance problems.
Greg Grace presented an example of a successful design that came from working with older adults in their homes and first trying to understand their primary goals. Most older adults in Germany have a single phone in their dwelling, in the hall, and many were beginning to have trouble hearing the phone if they were in another room. They did not want to install other phones in other rooms -- in their culture, this was considered vulgar. Many corporate designers would have suggested replacing the hall phones with cordless phones, requiring the users to learn a new procedure for operating the phone. However, the Siemens designers addressed the problem by creating a small, attractive, portable ringer that users could carry with them throughout the home. This solution was very popular.
Voice technology offers solutions for the decline in precise motor control that normally occurs with age. While older people typically perform worse than younger people in manual motor tasks, including mouse usage, there is not normally an age difference in using voice controls. Speech recognition technology has also been helpful in enabling users with more serious motor disorders. It was reported that a user who was confined to bed and unable to control limb movements did very well with a device that coupled voice commands to a display projected on the ceiling.
Many informed consent documents in usability studies or other research are written at the college level. They use long sentences that tax working memory. Something easier to understand and remember, possibly even interactive multimedia, could give participants a clearer idea of their rights.
SIG presenters and participants agreed that it is important to include a wide range of ages in usability studies. It might be useful to include a relatively high proportion of older adults, since they tend to be more sensitive to usability problems, and since the abilities of older adults vary widely between individuals. (For example, the current ISO interface standards tend to overrepresent the very old and the very young.) In addition to uncovering problems that might not occur in tests with only young adults, conducting tests with people of different ages together could allow connections and shared experiences between the age groups.
SIG participants also pointed out the need to test the documentation with older adults. They had found that much of the terminology used in product documentation had little meaning for older users -- for example, "back button."
SIG participants also suggested that older adults be involved in other phases of product development, such as task analysis, design, and development. Field testing in the home and community was recommended. One participant suggested working with the same older users across upgrades of a software product, to ensure that changes are not too disruptive. Surveys and the history of user acceptance of the product can also give valuable information.
There are other ways to examine usability for older users. We displayed a photo of an "age simulator", a suit that allows younger designers to experience the effects of the motor and perceptual declines that come with healthy aging. A designer can attempt to operate a device while wearing the suit as an extra means of evaluation. Of course, this suit cannot mimic cognitive declines, so usability testing is still necessary. (One SIG participant requested a "youth simulator" instead.)
Several ISO standards related to HCI are also designed to make software usable across age groups. These standards should be available through the ISO web site (at http://www.iso.ch/).
At the end of this SIG, John Thomas and Marian Williams announced that the Development Consortium at CHI 99 will be devoted to "Senior CHI." The special focus of this consortium will be the needs of older computer users. Interested persons were strongly encouraged to review the CHI 99 Call for Participation and submit a position paper to this consortium, in order to continue the discussion next year. Submissions related to "Senior CHI" are also encouraged in other participation categories. (The CHI 99 Call for Participation is available on-line at: http://www.acm.org/ sigchi/chi99/call/index.html.)
Beth Meyer currently works at US West Advanced Technologies. In June of 1998, she completed her Ph.D. in engineering psychology from Georgia Tech. Her research there addressed issues of aging in performing complex tasks.
Wendy Rogers is an associate professor of engineering psychology at Georgia Tech. Her research interests include training, skill acquisition, and cognitive aging.
Matthias Schneider-Hufschmidt is the head of the User Interface Design department of Siemens Consumer Communication Terminals in Munich, Germany. He received his Ph.D. from Stuttgart University in Germany.
Greg Grace designs user interfaces for Siemens AG in Munich, Germany. He has an MS from Georgia Tech.
Sherry Mead and Victoria Spaulding-Johnson are presently enrolled in the engineering psychology doctoral program at Georgia Tech. Their research interests include aging and human-computer interaction.
Beth Meyer
US West Advanced Technologies
4001 Discovery Dr., Suite 370
Boulder, CO 80303
U. S. A.
Tel: +1-303-541-6111
Wendy A. Rogers,
Victoria A. Spaulding-Johnson, or Sherry E. Mead
School of Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0170
U. S. A.
Tel: +1-404-894-6775,
+1-404-894-8344
email: wr43@prism.gatech.edu, psg95vs@prism.gatech.edu, sm96@prism.gatech.edu
Matthias Schneider-Hufschmidt or Greg Grace
Siemens AG, PN KE TI 3
Hofmannstr. 51, Ba3
D-81359 Muenchen
Fed. Rep. of Germany
email: msch@pn.siemens.de,
Gregory.Grace@pn.siemens.de
1. Mead, S. E., Spaulding, V. A., Sit, R. A., Meyer, B., & Walker, N. (1997). Effects of age and training on World Wide Web navigation strategies. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society 41st Annual Meeting (pp. 152-156). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors & Ergonomics Society.
2. Rogers, W. A., Meyer, B., Walker, N., & Fisk, A. D. (1998). Functional limitations to daily living tasks in the aged: A focus group analysis. Human Factors, 40, 111-125.
3. Worden, A., Walker, N., Bharat, K., & Hudson, S. (1997). Making computers easier for older adults to use: Area cursors and sticky icons. In Proceedings of CHI 97 (pp. 266-271). New York: ACM.
4. World Health Organization, Press Release WHO/69. Available as http://www.who.ch/press/1997/pr97-69.html.
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Vol.30 No.4, October 1998 |
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