Gill Whitney

HCI and the older population

HCI issues for older people are extremely important in light of the rapidly ageing population in developed countries. In addition, technology offers great potential for this age group but it will only be useful if it can be used effectively by its target users. In this workshop, we will therefore examine how HCI can address the needs and situations of this increasing older population. We aim to build up and support the research community in this area by providing a forum for the presentation of current work and a platform for discussing key challenges in this area. This workshop continues a successful series held at HCI in recent years and this year focuses on methodology, exploring how older people can be considered and included most effectively in design.

Successful strategies of older people for finding information

Older people have successful search strategies for finding practical information in everyday situations but, increasingly, traditional information sources are being supplemented or replaced by web based ones. However, there are wider issues than just making information available if people are to replace existing strategies by new web based ones. In this paper we use three studies on the information usage of older people to explore the issues surrounding why they favour specific search strategy and technology combinations. The studies each investigate different aspects of information search in a natural setting and concern tasks relevant to older people as their lives change: finding e-government information and planning travel. Results suggest that a variety of measures are important in choice of strategy. Furthermore, interface mechanisms are needed that complement existing strategies, reinforce the existence and crossing of boundaries, and support interactive use of landmarks.

Human–Computer Interaction and International Public Policymaking: A Framework for Understanding and Taking Future Actions

This monograph lays out a discussion framework for understanding the role of human–computer interaction HCI in public policymaking. We take an international view, discussing potential areas for research and application, and their potential for impact. Little has been written about the intersection of HCI and public policy; existing reports typically focus on one specific policy issue or incident. To date, there has been no overarching view of the areas of existing impact and potential impact. We have begun that analysis and argue here that such a global view is needed. Our aims are to provide a solid foundation for discussion, cooperation and collaborative interaction, and to outline future programs of activity. The five sections of this report provide relevant background along with a preliminary version of what we expect to be an evolving framework. Sections 1 and 2 provides an introduction to HCI and public policy. Section 3 discusses how HCI already informs public policy, with representative examples. Section 4 discusses how public policy influences HCI and provides representative public policy areas relevant to HCI, where HCI could have even more impact in the future: i laws, regulations, and guidelines for HCI research, ii HCI research assessments, iii research funding, iv laws for interface design — accessibility and language, v data privacy laws and regulations, vi intellectual property, and vii laws and regulations in specific sectors. There is a striking difference between where the HCI community has had impact Section 3 and the many areas of potential involvement Section 4. Section 5 a framework for action by the HCI community in public policy internationally. This monograph summarizes the observations and recommendations from a daylong workshop at the CHI 2013 conference in Paris, France. The workshop invited the communitys perspectives regarding the intersection of governmental policies, international and domestic standards, recent HCI research discoveries, and emergent considerations and challenges. It also incorporates contributions made after the workshop by workshop participants and by individuals who were unable to participate in the workshop but whose work and interests were highly related and relevant.This monograph lays out a discussion framework for understanding the role of human–computer interaction HCI in public policymaking. We take an international view, discussing potential areas for res...

Strategies for Finding Government Information by Older People

Governments increasingly expect web technology to become their major way of exchanging information with citizens, replacing existing methods. They also give accessibility a high priority. Older people are a major user of government services. We describe a pilot study comparing attitudes of older people to e-government with other ways of obtaining information. We examine what individuals consider important in an information search strategy, and the relative effectiveness of each for achieving an individuals personal aims. We do this in the light of research on the effects of aging on cognitive skills.

Enabling people with sensory impairments to participate effectively in research

The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss some of the effects that a person’s sensory impairment has on the ways in which they can participate in research. Sensory impairment will result in a person receiving less sensory information. This reduction may be uniform across a particular type of sensory information (like having the volume on the radio turned down or watching things through a haze) or, more likely, it will have different effects on different parts of the available information. The result of this information loss will not be that the person has a partial experience of a situation compared to a person without a sensory impairment or with a different sensory impairment. Instead, they will have a full experience based on a different combination of information, and it is likely that more of the information that they are using will come from their memory or previous experience. This paper describes ways of working that acknowledge the different experiences of people with a hearing or visual impairment with respect to both the object of the research and the research process. It describes how to design questionnaire, use interviews and focus groups and carry out evaluations of objects and situations in a way that acknowledges the effect of the different amounts and types of information available have on the experiences of people with sensory impairments.

Certification or conformance: making a successful commitment to WCAG 2.0

The need for accessible websites is well recognized and the accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.0) provide an important benchmark standard for measuring progress of eGoverment and commercial websites. This study was commissioned by ANEC and aimed to examine the effects of voluntary and third party certification schemes on actual conformance with web accessibility standards. A sample of 100 websites claiming voluntary or certified conformance to accessibility standards were selected from 5 European countries. In a combination of automatic tests and manual inspection it was found that simple measures of numbers of passes to WCAG 2.0 level A were highly disappointing. Closer inspection of the results revealed that a limited number of criteria at level A accounted for more than half the failures. These individual failures at level A tend to mask the commitment made by development teams to meet the needs of disabled users. Clearer processes are needed to identify and resolve these persistent barriers in order to support web development and achieve better and more consistent conformance to accessibility guidelines.

The challenge of mainstreaming ICT design for all

The education and training of ICT students and professionals with respect to Design for All is a vital part in the process of achieving eInclusion throughout Europe. This paper outlines the latest activity on the development of a curriculum in Design for All in ICT in higher education and professional development, and discusses some of the challenges of mainstreaming ICT Design for All. Concepts have been devised to introduce Design for All at bachelor-level of mainstream ICT education, to implement a masters degree in Design for All, and to provide training for professionals in ICT industry.

Designing computer systems for and with older users

The ageing population in the developed world, and the centrality of computer systems in many aspects of daily life, are factors commonly cited as necessitating the provision of computer technologies appropriate for older users. Much of the research on older people and computer systems is undertaken and presented with a crusading zeal, based on the assumption that computer systems are, of themselves, a positive influence on the lives of older people (Selwyn et al. 2003). We have argued elsewhere that insufficient data exist to determine whether or not computer systems, as they are currently constituted, improve wellbeing among older users (Dickinson and Gregor 2006). In this special issue, we have focused on approaches, techniques and methodologies that support a fuller and more sophisticated analysis of the relationship – or potential relationship – between older adults and computer systems. The seven selected papers published here offer a variety of perspectives on this area, and add both empirical data and theoretical richness to the field. The paper by Convertino and colleagues explores theoretical issues of intergenerational collaborations using computer supported collaborative work (CSCW) in a work environment. The authors persuasively argue the vital point that older workers bring different – not fewer – talents and qualities to intergenerational work relationships. Comparative lack of technical knowledge is offset by valuable and extensive domain expertise and problem-solving skills. To maximize usefulness to industry, where such skills are highly valued, designers of such systems should aim to support these talents and qualities as well as those of younger workers. Another paper which benefits from a strongly theoretical approach is the work by Turner et al. who use ‘learned helplessness’ theory to explore the qualitative and discursive outcomes of a nine month study of older adults learning to use interactive systems. Their analysis of the experiences of the learners, and the ways in which these are described in conversation, provides us with important and rich information on the barriers that older adults perceive to their own computer use. An important theory which informs the paper by Sokoler and Svensson is that of non-stigmatizing technologies and the ways in which these might be developed. The work, based on qualitative field work in residential homes, focuses on the difficulties of inducing people explicitly to recognize and express feelings that might be regarded as stigmatizing, such as loneliness and isolation. Arguing that older adults themselves have various strategies for dealing with such problems in indirect, non-stigmatizing ways, the authors seek to develop technology that enables such strategies, rather than technology that stigmatizes the recipient through defining them as having a problem such as, for example, being ‘lonely’. These theoretical approaches and, in the case of Sokoler and Svensson, the production of a prototype system, are thought-provoking and useful, offering new insights into the issues surrounding older adults’ use – or non-use – of computer systems. Renaud and Ramsay report on the development of an identification and authentication procedure to increase the accessibility of web content to older users, through focusing on strengths which do not change with age, such as recognition of one’s own handwriting, rather than current approaches that demand perfect recall. The system developed provides a number of insights into ways in which designs can be made more widely accessible and in which the seriousness of user errors can be reduced without compromising security. The special issue concludes with three papers focused on methodological strategies for working with older adults. Rice et al. look at the use of requirements gathering techniques adapted from Forum Theatre in working with older adults. These techniques, the authors argue, allow the social and attitudinal implications of potential technologies to be explored with people who may have little technical knowledge, thus overcoming significant communication barriers between older users and designers. They report on sessions carried out with older participants on the topic of interactive television to illustrate the richness of the data gathered with these techniques. In his paper, Hawthorn explores adaptations to user centred design techniques using the example of the development and evaluation of a tutorial program, FileTutor, which teaches older people about file management. Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol. 26, No. 4, July –August 2007, 273 – 274

Critical analysis of high speed wireless standards for transferring telementoring information

Summary form only given. The main focus of this paper is to investigate the requirements for developing a feasible solution for the transmission of Telesurgical (mainly Telementoring) audio and video information over high speed wireless links. This requires an improvement in the quality of service of the wireless link between two sites in terms of throughput, delay, delay variations, stability and security. As the high level features of current broadband wireless technologies can be employed to provide the high-speed link between the two sites, this paper also critically analyses and evaluates the functionality issues of current and upcoming wireless standards such as Spectrum Management, Media Access Technologies, and Authentication Access and Control. It also investigates their suitability for the transmission of Telesurgical information. It then classifies the wireless technologies into different categories based on their ability to transfer information over long and short distances. The analysis carried out in this paper would lay out the guidelines for selecting an appropriate wireless standard for transferring Telesurgical information.

The use of standards for identifying, codifying and transmitting expert ergonomic knowledge

Formal technical standards based on ergonomic principles can ensure that products, systems and services are fit for purpose, accessible and useable. The application of these standards should be used to ensure that items of technology meet political requirements for equality by enabling the full range of end users to participate in the digital society. Ergonomists and representatives of consumers participate in the specification and creation of these standards to ensure that their content is relevant, correct and up-to-date. They work to ensure that the standards accurately represent the needs and requirements of end users including amongst others people with disabilities, older people and people with different language and cultural backgrounds. A number of these standards are referenced in law and in procurement contracts. They are not often not used in higher education resulting in knowledge deficit for young technical professionals. The paper is based on the authors experience including working in the area of accessibility standardization and at a University which prides itself on the diversity of its staff and has students from more than 150 nations. The paper ends with a consideration of the way in which more effective use can be made of these standards.