Joy Goodman

Internet use and non-use: views of older users

This paper reports the results of two connected surveys of computer and Internet use among the older population in the UK. One hundred and twenty questionnaires and interviews were completed with participants aged over 55 in Derbyshire and 353 questionnaires and interviews with over 50s in Scotland. Rates of use, computer and Internet activities, and reasons for use and non-use were investigated. These were backed up by four semi-structured interviews with IT trainers, describing experiences and issues of training this age group. The results indicate a “grey” digital divide, with many older people missing out on the benefits that computers and the Internet can provide. They also indicate some of the reasons why older people do not use computers and the Internet more. These suggest some practical ways forward, highlighting the importance of changing older people’s misconceptions about computers, better informing them about what they are, what they can do and how they can be of real practical use.

Providing Strategic User Information for Designers: Methods and Initial Findings

This paper has described the initial results of a literature survey on the design process and designers’ work practices, considering practical implications for the provision of information and of design methods, particularly for inclusive design. This survey has provided a rich and extensive source of data about designers’ work practices and the use of user data. These results will focus subsequent observation and interview stages and may be considered together with these other methods in a convergent methodology to build a reliable picture of what designers do.

Editorial: HCI and the older population

This paper describes a workshop on HCI and the older population, which will provide a forum for the presentation of current work and a platform for discussing key challenges in this area. HCI issues for older people are extremely important in the light of the rapidly ageing population in developed countries and the potential offered by computerised technology, a potential that can only be fulfilled if the technology can be used effectively by its target user group. In particular, the workshop will focus on questions of the identity of the older population and what makes this group distinct (or not) from the rest of the population. With the rise of approaches such as inclusive design that seek to design for as wide a group as possible, it is important to examine the place of designing specifically for the older population. This workshop aims to build up and support the community in this area, encouraging communication and addressing key issues together. 1. TOPIC The proportion of older people in developed countries is rapidly increasing [1]. At the same time the use of computerised technology in such countries is becoming more and more a part of everyday life. It is therefore increasingly important to consider how the design of such technology can meet the needs, wants and requirements of this important user group. What is more, many older people have substantial amounts of disposable income and are not particularly averse to using new technologies, if those technologies are appropriately designed and introduced (e.g., [2]). The older population therefore presents a sizeable market opportunity for the IT industry. In addition, the increasing proportion of older people will lead to a significant increase in the numbers needing support for daily activities and in those needing long term care. Technology presents one important avenue for providing such support. However, this technology is only going to be effective if it meets actual needs or desires in appropriate ways and can be used effectively. The development of such technology therefore needs to be carried out within the context of HCI and HCI issues. However, HCI for the older population faces some particular challenges. Compared with younger user groups, it is argued that older people often have different needs and wants when it comes to technology, requiring different types of applications and devices. Ageing is also often associated with changes in sight, hearing, mobility and other abilities, which could affect an older person’s technology use. In addition, older people often come from different backgrounds and experience than typical user groups, which may affect their expertise with and approach to items of technology. This workshop aims to build up and support the community in the area of HCI for older people, providing a forum for important issues to be discussed, promoting discussion of HCI for the older population on a wider level and drawing together an often scattered research community. It builds on previous popular workshops held at HCI 2002 and HCI 2004 [3,4]. 1.1 Specific Themes We will discuss some specific themes within HCI for older people, focusing on questions of the identity of the older population and what makes this group distinct (or not) from the rest of the population. Differences, such as those described above, may be less significant than similarities and it may be the case that simply designing well for the population as a whole will produce good designs for older people too. With the rise of such inclusive design approaches that seek to design for as wide a group as possible, it is important to examine the place of designing specifically for the older population. We need to address questions such as: Can we identify key characteristics of the older population that set it apart from other groups? What are they and how do they impact on design? Is designing for older people different from designing for the population as a whole? If so, how? Are there different methods that should be used, different methodology that should be followed or adaptations that should be made to existing methods? Do inclusive design approaches produce effective products for older people? How far can they go? Is there a point where a different approach is needed? If so, what should this approach be? How can older people’s needs be considered most effectively within an inclusive design framework? Can themes and ideas from inclusive design be incorporated effectively when designing for older people in particular?

Designers' perceptions of methods of involving and understanding users

Numerous methods have been developed to help designers to understand and consider the needs and desires of end-users, but many have had limited uptake in design practice. In order to understand why this is and to enable the development of more effective methods and tools, it is important to uncover how designers themselves think about and react to these methods. We are therefore currently conducting a card-sorting study with designers. We aim to uncover their perceptions of underlying similarities and relationships between design methods, and relate them to the frequency and enjoyment of use. This paper presents results from an initial sample of six designers. A cluster analysis identified a very strong clustering in these results, indicating that common underlying views about methods do exist. Six key clusters are identified, including two focused on user involvement and one on understanding users without direct user contact. The effect of different method characteristics on the frequency and enjoyment of method use are also considered. Initial results indicate that certain clusters of methods are used more often, as are methods that are informal and cheap.

Factors Involved in Industry’s Response to Inclusive Design

For inclusive design to be put into practice successfully we must equip designers, retailers and manufacturers to overcome the barriers to inclusive design and we need to enable and support those aspects that encourage and drive companies to take it up. However, not all companies face the same barriers and drivers. Depending on their current situation with respect to inclusive design, there are different drivers that need to be emphasised and different barriers to be overcome. In practice, this means that different support and training materials and tools need to be developed depending on the companies’ current position.

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