Lorna Gibson

Engaging the disengaged: how do we design technology for digitally excluded older adults?

Amongst older adults, recent evidence suggests the most commonly stated reason for non-adoption of digital technologies is a lack of interest, rather than affordability or difficulty. This directly impacts upon the design community, both in terms of technologies we design for such groups to adopt, and the design methods we use for exploiting the untapped creativity and innovation amongst people who are not particularly interested in the outcome. This paper explores issues of technology non-acceptance amongst older adults, and reports on work designed to incorporate the values of older adults within the design process. We present the results of a series of interviews conducted with disengaged older adults, presenting the key themes found within a subset with these interviews.

Experiences obtained from designing with children

This paper describes the experiences and insights obtained while using children-centred design during two software development projects. The authors describe critical difficulties experienced and how measures had to be taken to adapt the children-centred design methodologies to allow full involvement of children in the project design.

Auditing accessibility of UK Higher Education web sites

Abstract Given the increasingly important role the World Wide Web plays as an information source, and yet with the continuing problems that certain individuals, particularly those with disabilities and those using ‘non-standard’ Web browsing technology, it is vital that web resource providers be aware of design features which introduce barriers affecting the accessibility of on-line information. The role of the accessibility audit is seen as an important one in uncovering, describing, and explaining potential accessibility barriers present in a web site. It furthermore acts as an educational tool by raising awareness in accessible design amongst web designers and content providers in providing them with a recovery plan for improving the accessiblility of the audited resource, and potentially other resources. In 1999, the authors were commissioned to carry out accessibility audits of 11 web sites in the UK Higher Education sector. This paper discusses the development of the methodology used to carry out the audits, the findings of the audits in terms of accessibility levels of the subject sites, and feedback as a result of the auditing process. It concludes by looking at ways in which the methodology adopted may be tailored to suit specific types of web resource evaluation.

What is the frequency of symptomatic mild hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes in the young?: assessment by novel mobile phone technology and computer-based interviewing

Background:  The prevalence of mild hypoglycemia is difficult to document, particularly, in young people with diabetes. The usual method is to ask for subject recall using written ‘diaries’.

Dundee user centre: a space where older people and technology meet

In this paper, we describe the User Centre at the University of Dundee which provides a space for older people and technology to come together for the benefit of new learning opportunities, social interaction and research.

Developing a web authoring tool that promotes accessibility in children's designs

This paper describes the development, with full involvement by children, of a web development tool which reflects truly how children view the World Wide Web. The tool was designed in such a way that it promoted the understanding and implementation of accessibility principles to the users.

The Role of Digital Technologies During Relationship Breakdowns

Relationship breakdowns are undoubtedly difficult. Access to and use of technology can exacerbate the situation. In our networked society, shared lives generate vast amounts of shared digital data which can be difficult to untangle, whilst social media can provide an outlet to emotions that can take a public and often persistent form. In this paper, we report on a qualitative study that considered the role of technology in the process of a relationship breaking down. Four main themes emerged in our findings: communicating about the separation, change in social status, shared digital assets, and moving on. Opportunities for design are identified in reducing misunderstandings via CMCs, enhancing social media, supporting intimacy in distributed families, and refining service provision.

Pupil consultation online: developing a web-based questionnaire system

The idea of consulting pupils about developments in their schools is now established in legislation and practice in schools. While many methods of performing such consultations have been employed for a number of years, a new system has been developed which can offer a consultation environment previously not available. An online pupil consultation system for use in schools throughout Fife Council is designed so that staff members can build questionnaires, allow pupils to complete them anonymously and finally analyse the results in collated form.

Narrating past to present: conveying the needs and values of older people to young digital technology designers

In this paper we discuss preliminary findings from the first stage of our SEEDS study (SEEDS: An Organic Approach to Virtual Participatory Design), a collaborative research project between Universities of Dundee, Kent and Leeds, United Kingdom. This feasibility study investigates how to motivate older people to engage with digital technology, as well as how to improve understanding of older peoples needs and requirements amongst young designers. As part of this study we recorded interviews with older people which investigated their motivations to use or not use digital technologies and themes pertaining to their (dis)engagement. A virtual repository was created to make collected interviews, which were presented as social stories, available to engineering, technology and design students. In this paper we discuss the findings from a prototyping exercise with undergraduate and postgraduate students which took place in stage one at the Universities of Kent and Leeds.

Using children as expert web evaluators

This paper discusses the role of children as expert evaluators in the assessment of accessibility and usability of a number of websites primarily aimed at children. It also discusses how childrens awareness of accessibility issues can be raised through such a process.