Examination of the Usability of the IPAD Among Older Adult Consumers

Background and Purpose In the current technological-era there is assumption of universal Internet access of citizens in North America. Many senior citizens have the desire to access the Internet, however have limited experience-using computers. There currently exists multiple options in addition to personal computers to access the Internet such as tablet computers, however there has been limited research performed on the use of these technologies by senior citizens. Methodology and Methods This paper describes the experiences and insight of five novice senior iPad owners as well as a detailed task and activity analysis of these seniors utilizing the device. Through focus group based discussion in combination with the use of a hierarchical task analysis (HTA) and an activity analysis (AA) and post-interviews this paper describes the experiences and insight of five novice senior iPad owners as well an evaluation of the usability of the iPad amongst these users. Findings and Conclusion Overall, participant’s experiences on the iPad were very positive and the iPad displayed a high usability. Participants used the device with a high-degree of efficiency and rated the device as being highly intuitive. The main sources of difficulty resulted from a read-tap asymmetry, ambiguous touchable areas within some applications and ambiguous icon depiction. Similar to the findings of prior literature studying the iPads usability with younger populations, this research found that the iPad was used highly effectively with an older population and the difficulties that this older population experienced were nearly identical to those experienced by younger populations in other research. These findings in combination with the positive and non-intimidating perception the iPad received from the participants, suggests that the iPad may be an effective and highly useful option for Internet access amongst seniors

Intergenerational Effects on the Impacts of Technology Use in Later Life: Insights from an International, Multi-Site Study

As the use of technology becomes further integrated into the daily lives of all persons, including older adults, it is important to investigate how the perceptions and use of technology intersect with intergenerational relationships. Based on the international multi-centered study Technology In Later Life (TILL), this paper emphasizes the perceptions of older adults and the interconnection between technology and intergenerational relationships are integral to social connectedness with others. Participants from rural and urban sites in Canada and the UK (n = 37) completed an online survey and attended a focus group. Descriptive and thematic analyses suggest that older adults are not technologically adverse and leverage intergenerational relationships with family and friends to adjust to new technologies and to remain connected to adult children and grandchildren, especially when there is high geographic separation between them. Participants referenced younger family members as having introduced them to, and having taught them how to use, technologies such as digital devices, computers, and social networking sites. The intergenerational support in the adoption of new technologies has important implications for helping older persons to remain independent and to age in place, in both age-friendly cities and in rural communities. The findings contribute to the growing literature in the fields of gerontology and gerontechnology on intergenerational influences and the impacts of technology use in later life and suggest the flexibility and willingness of older persons to adopt to new technologies as well as the value of intergenerational relationships for overcoming barriers to technology adoption

Mobile device use when caring for children 0-5 years: A naturalistic playground study

Issue addressed: Over the past decade, mobile device use has increased significantly. Adults are now using their mobile device whilst undertaking a range of work and social activities. This naturalistic study aimed to understand parents/carers' use of mobile devices and their associated beliefs about mobile device use whilst caring for children aged five and younger in playgrounds. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data from parents/carers. Data were collected by observations (n = 50) and interviews (n = 25) in playgrounds on the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Results: Of the 50 observed parents/carers, 76% (n = 38) used their mobile device, with usage time extending to 17.2 minutes of the 20 minute observation period. Text-/type-related mobile device use was most often used (69.6%), followed by voice-related (23.7%) and camera-related mobile device use (6.7%). The 25 interviewed parents/carers beliefs on mobile device use were centred on three themes: diversity of mobile device use, child relationships and mobile device use and the physical environment and mobile device use. Conclusion: This study adds to the limited research into parent/carer mobile device use, which has become an integral part of peoples' lifestyle. However, research is required to better understand how parent/carer mobile device use may impact on child supervision and interaction. So what?: Mobile device use is increasing. We need to better understand its public health impact

Loyalty Programmes: Practices, Avenues and Challenges

<div align=justify>Complexity of modern business requires managers to strive for innovative strategies to acquire and retain customers in any product market field. As acquiring new customers is getting costlier day by day, business organizations have offered continuity/loyalty programmes to retain/reward existing customers and maintain relationships. The premise of CRM is that once a customer is locked in, it will be advantageous to both the organization as well as customer to maintain relationships and would be a win-win situation for both. Consumers find it beneficial to join such programmes to earn rewards for staying loyal. Through loyalty programmes, firms can potentially gain more repeat business, get opportunity to cross-sell and obtain rich customer data for future CRM efforts (Yuping Liu, 2007). This paper, exploratory in nature, attempts to provide a conceptual overview of Loyalty in organized retail sector, outlines practices of grocery retail outlets in Ahmedabad, the largest city in the state of Gujarat and the seventh-largest urban agglomeration in India, with a population of 56 lakhs (5.6 million). It also throws light on consumer expectations, perceptions and problems faced through indepth exploration. Based on literature review and environment in India, an emerging economy, it attempts to predict future of such programmes specifically in Indian organised retail sector and discusses managerial challenges of managing loyalty programmes and provides agenda for future research directions.</div>

Facing the Challenge of Mobile Technology: A Seminar on Strengthening Intimacy in Families at the Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Problem The new wave of smartphones and other forms of mobile technology presents an always available Internet connection that is hard for many families to manage. Without sufficient awareness of technology\u27s subtle impact on relationships and without appropriate boundaries, many suffer loss of face-to-face interaction, communication and intimacy within their family circles. The Method The purpose of this project was to investigate whether a five-session educational seminar would create greater awareness and motivate changes in mobile technology usage that is seen as beneficial to parents and family. The Results Of the 11 families who committed to coming to the five-session educational seminar, eight were able to attend all five sessions. A comparison of pre-interviews and post-interviews determined that the seminar was useful in raising awareness, stimulating more responsible use of mobile technology, and encouraging families toward deeper levels of intimacy. As a result of the many tools placed in the hands of the parents, members of each family made some type of change in their mobile technology usage and felt better equipped to talk with their children and each other about appropriate parameters. Conclusions This educational experience for the Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church was useful in raising awareness regarding the advantages and dangers of mobile technology. Participants gained not only insights and practical skills in Internet management but greater understanding of their family dynamics as well as enhanced skill in dialogue and communication with each other

Managing Employees’ Use of Mobile Technologies to Minimize Work-Life Balance Impacts

Organizations recognize that employees’ use of mobile technologies improves productivity. Yet there is concern that mobile usage can impact employees’ work-life balance (WLB). In this article, we report on the undesirable impacts on WLB and offer a framework and a set of strategies for managing WLB. We propose that there is a continuum of WLB perceptions, with some seeing work and personal life as separate domains, others viewing work as overlapping with personal life and yet others perceiving the two domains as integrate

Technology for Good: Innovative Use of Technology by Charities

Technology for Good identifies ten technologies being used by charitable organizations in innovative ways. The report briefly introduces each technology and provides examples of how those technologies are being used.Examples are drawn from a broad spectrum of organizations working on widely varied issues around the globe. This makes Technology for Good a unique repository of inspiration for the public and private sectors, funders, and other change makers who support the creation and use of technology for social good

Associations between Maternal Technology Use, Perceptions of Infant Temperament, and Indicators of Mother-to-Infant Attachment Quality

Background: Previous research suggests parents\u27 use of technological devices, such as TV and mobile devices, within family contexts may decrease the quality of parent-child interactions. During early infancy, mothers report engaging with technological devices during infant feeding and care interactions, however, few studies have explored potential associations between maternal technology use and the quality of mother-to-infant attachment. Aim: To examine associations between maternal technology use during mother-infant interactions and indicators of mother-to-infant attachment during early infancy. Study design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Mothers (n = 332) of infants aged 2 to 6 months were recruited via MTurk, a crowdsourcing platform, to participate in an online survey. Participants responded to a series of validated questionnaires that assessed maternal technology use during mother-infant interactions (Maternal Distraction Questionnaire), infant temperament (Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised Very Short Form), and indicators of mother-to-infant attachment, including quality of attachment, absence of hostility toward motherhood, and pleasure in mother-infant interactions (Maternal Postnatal Attachment Questionnaire). Results: Greater technology use during mother-infant interactions was significantly associated with greater infant negative affectivity (β = 0.26, p \u3c .0001). Greater technology use was also significantly associated with lower mother-to-infant attachment quality (β = −0.21, p = .0001), and greater hostility toward motherhood (β = −0.39, p \u3c .0001). Associations between technology use and indicators of mother-to-infant attachment were not mediated by infant negative affectivity. Conclusions: Maternal technology use was associated with greater perceptions of infant negative affectivity and poorer mother-to-infant attachment quality; further research is needed to understand mechanisms underlying these associations