Position Paper

By the year 2025, the worldwide population of older adults, those >65 years of age, will grow by a factor of three. Forecasts for the United States project 58.6 million older adults by the year 2025, with the greatest growth occurring among those >75[i]. These trends have significant implications for researchers, designers and policy makers. Given that the number of older adults in the population is rapidly increasing, there is a strong need to identify strategies to enhance the functional independence and autonomy of older adults[ii]. Older adults of working age are either current computer users or will be learning to use computers in the next several decades. Computer users and workers of all ages will be required to constantly update their skills because of new products and new releases being developed at a very fast pace [iii].

Many consumer products such as telephones, home appliances, electronics, computer hardware and software are intended to be used by adults of all ages in various contexts and environments. However, the design process is such that products are not tested on all types of users. Resulting products that are easy for the average 25 year old to use, are not easy for the average 70 year old. If age-related differences are not taken into account during the design process, the resulting products will present unnecessary barriers to older adults who try to use them.

Applications that target the elderly aim to enhance mobility, independence and social participation. Technology can play a major role in achieving this goal if new products meet the requirements of the aging population [iv]. Because the process of aging is modifiable by environmental factors, it is important for designers and developers of new technology to maximize the potential benefits. A more in-depth understanding of the needs and aspirations of older adults can lead to innovations and better design for all.

There is a need to sensitize people to the heterogeneity of the aging process. Not all people age in the same way, or at the same time. As we age, we undergo certain changes for better, and for worse. Aging is a gradual biological process that occurs throughout the lifecycle. It is a complex, continuous process and occurs differently in each individual thereby rendering the group of ‘older adults’ more heterogeneous than other age groups with respect to their characteristics [v]. The process of aging is not uniform and occurs at different times, to different degrees in each person. There is great variability between individuals with respect to the time, rate and degree of change for each characteristic. It’s important to note that illness is not an intrinsic part of the aging process – certain illnesses and diseases are more prevalent among older adults, but the changes discussed here deal only with normal aging.

The goals of my thesis project are to identify age-bias inherent in various types of human-computer interaction (HCI) methodology, such as task analysis, and propose a modification to the methods to render them appropriate for both older and younger age groups (taking into account a user’s individual characteristics). Advances in technology make it possible to accommodate a diverse group of users [vi], so the study of individual differences in HCI must be considered because these differences typically account for a large portion of the variance in computer-based performance.

[i] Office of technology Assessment. Technology and aging in America, Washington D.C. 1985: US Government Printing Office.

[ii] Czaja SJ, Guerrier JH, Nair S, Landauer TK. Computer communication as an aid to independence for older adults. Behaviour and Information technology. 1993;12(4):197-207.

[iii] Kelley CL, Charness N. issues in training older adults to use computers. Behaviour and Information Technology. 1995; 14(2):107-120.

[iv] Brouwer-Janse MD, Suri JF, Yawitz M, de Vries G, Fozard JL, Coleman R. User interfaces for young and old. Interactions 1997; March+April: 34-46.

[v] Czaja SJ. Microcomputers and the elderly. In. M. Helander (Ed) Handbook of Human Computer Interaction. 1988: 581-598.

[vi] Egan DE. Individual differences in Human Computer Interaction, in ME Helander (ed.) Handbook of Human Computer Interaction 1988. Amsterdam: North Holland pp:543-568.