W. Bradley Fain

Examining social media use among older adults

Social media is a powerful tool that can connect family and friends across long distances as well as link people with similar interests. Social media has been widely adopted by younger adults, but older adults have been less likely to use such applications. A survey of 142 older adults (Mage=72 years, SD=11; range: 52-92) living in the metropolitan Atlanta area was conducted to understand the characteristics of older adults who do and do not use Facebook, a popular and wide-spread social media application. The present study examined the relationship between Facebook use and loneliness, social satisfaction, and confidence with technology. Demographic relationships were also examined, such as gender and age. Fifty-nine participants (42%) identified themselves as current Facebook users; 83 participants (58%) were not Facebook users. Non-Facebook users were significantly older (Mage= 75.3 years) than Facebook users (Mage= 66.5 years). Counter to expectations, there was not a significant difference in loneliness between Facebook users and non-users for this sample. However, Facebook users did score higher on assessments of social satisfaction and confidence with technology than did non-users. These preliminary results suggest that many older adults do use Facebook and they primarily use it to stay connected with family. As adults enter into older adulthood, maintaining social connectedness may become more difficult due to mobility limitations, chronic diseases, and other age-related issues, thus decreasing physical connectedness with friends, family, and community. For these reasons, social media may begin to play a more active role in keeping this population socially connected. Therefore, understanding the factors that influence social media use in older adults is becoming more critical.

Macular degeneration and visual icon use: deriving guidelines for improved access

The objective of this study was to derive empirical knowledge of the visual search strategies of computer users who suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This was accomplished by recording eye movement during the use of feature-enhanced software. The results from this study show that there are differences between users who have AMD and users who are fully sighted (FS). Detailed analyses confirmed the hypotheses that there would be performance differences between the AMD and FS participants, and that specific features of the interface, namely icon size, background color, and the number of icons on a display, would significantly affect the search strategies of users.

The evaluation of a voting web based application

Ballot layout and the incorporation of assistive technologies into voting systems are plagued with inconsistencies across the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate both ballot layout display configuration (information density) and a variety of controllers (e.g., mouse, 2- or 5-button controller) in order to assess performance and preference among voters. Participants were presented with three mock ballots, each with different layouts (scrollable pages, multiple columns or multiple pages per contest). Eye-tracking data and selection time data were recorded and a usability questionnaire was administered after each testing condition. The results of the study found that participants preferred the multiple column display configuration and the use of the mouse. The results from this study will be leveraged to design an iPad Voting Application with appropriate interfaces and controls. This will allow individuals with disabilities the opportunity to vote without requiring the dexterity to use a paper and pencil ballot.

Designing Usable Voting Systems for Voters With Hidden Barriers: A Pilot Study

Little research has been conducted considering how to improve the usability of voting systems for people with hidden barriers, including voters with dyslexia, non-native English voters, and voters with arthritis. This article explores usability issues for people with hidden barriers through a series of interviews and usability tests of a web-based Voting Application. First, voters with and without dyslexia preferred using a Helvetica font over custom-designed dyslexia fonts called Lexia Readable and Open Dyslexic. Second, voters whose native language was English, Spanish, or Chinese preferred ballots in their native languages that were written in Plain Language style over ballots written in Traditional Language style. Third, voters with arthritis preferred a multicolumn ballot layout over a scroll ballot layout or multipage ballot layout because voters were able to see all candidates at a glance. Last, voters with arthritis preferred simpler user input devices, and therefore preferred a 2-button or 3-button input device over a 5-button input device. These results serve to inform designers on how to improve voting systems so that they are usable for voters with hidden barriers.

Design of a Web-Based Voting Application

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, over 50,000 U.S. troops have been wounded during the recent and current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, many returning home with a range of conditions including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and polytrauma. These conditions can lead to impairments that cause difficulty with the voting process. Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute have developed an accessible voting web application to serve as an exemplar of an accessible voting interface and to serve as a testbed to support research into ways to improve voting accessibility.