Movement characteristics and effects of GUI design on how older adults swipe in mid-air

We conducted a study with 25 older adults that aimed to investigate how older users interact with swipe-based interactions in mid-air and how menu sizes may affect swipe characteristics. Our findings suggest that currently-implemented motion-based interaction parameters may not be very well-aligned with the expectations and physical abilities of the older population. In addition, we find that GUI design can shape how older users produce a swipe gesture in mid-air, and that appropriate GUI design can lead to higher success rates for users with little familiarity with this novel input method

Evaluating the effects of feedback type on older adults’ performance in mid-air pointing and target selection

“Hands-free” pointing techniques used in mid-air gesture interaction require precise motor control and dexterity. Although being applied in a growing number of interaction contexts over the past few years, this input method can be challenging for older users (60+ years old) who experience natural decline in pointing abilities due to natural ageing process. We report the findings of a target acquisition experiment in which older adults had to perform “pointand- select” gestures in mid-air. The experiment investigated the effect of 6 feedback conditions on pointing and selection performance of older users. Our findings suggest that the bimodal combination of Visual and Audio feedback lead to faster target selection times for older adults, but did not lead to making less errors. Furthermore, target location on screen was found to play a more important role in both selection time and accuracy of pointand- select tasks than feedback type

An investigation of mid-air gesture interaction for older adults

Older adults (60+) face natural and gradual decline in cognitive, sensory and motor functions that are often the reason for the difficulties that older users come up against when interacting with computers. For that reason, the investigation and design of age-inclusive input methods for computer interaction is much needed and relevant due to an ageing population. The advances of motion sensing technologies and mid-air gesture interaction reinvented how individuals can interact with computer interfaces and this modality of input method is often deemed as a more “natural” and “intuitive” than using purely traditional input devices such mouse interaction. Although explored in gaming and entertainment, the suitability of mid-air gesture interaction for older users in particular is still little known. The purpose of this research is to investigate the potential of mid-air gesture interaction to facilitate computer use for older users, and to address the challenges that older adults may face when interacting with gestures in mid-air. This doctoral research is presented as a collection of papers that, together, develop the topic of ageing and computer interaction through mid-air gestures. The initial point for this research was to establish how older users differ from younger users and focus on the challenges faced by older adults when interacting with mid-air gesture interaction. Once these challenges were identified, this work aimed to explore a series of usability challenges and opportunities to further develop age-inclusive interfaces based on mid-air gesture interaction. Through a series of empirical studies, this research intends to provide recommendations for designing mid-air gesture interaction that better take into consideration the needs and skills of the older population and aims to contribute to the advance of age-friendly interfaces

Inclusão Digital de Pessoas Idosas: Um Estudo de Caso utilizando Computadores Desktop e Tablets

Este estudo tem como objetivo apresentar os resultados da interação de um grupo de idosos utilizando computadores pessoais e tablets em projeto de inclusão digital e foi realizado na Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação, UNESP, campus Bauru. Participaram nestas Oficinas 18 pessoas idosas, com idade entre 60 e 75 anos, todos alfabetizados e com escolaridade e classes sociais heterogêneas. A metodologia utilizada foi pesquisa de campo exploratória e com abordagem qualitativa. O estudo foi dividido em duas fases. Na primeira todos os participantes aprenderam informática básica, como navegação e comunicação na internet, e edição de textos, utilizando computadores desktop. Na segunda fase, 13 idosos continuaram utilizando os desktops, enquanto os outros cinco idosos utilizaram os tablets. Entre os resultados obtidos com os uso dos tablets neste projeto, os usuários idosos destacaram a facilidade de executar as tarefas neste dispositivo, pela facilidade de uso, o manuseio, a mobilidade, a sua leveza e o acesso aos aplicativos nestes dispositivos

Touch Screens for the Older User

It has been 20 years since Ben Schneiderman predicted that there would be an increase in the use of touch screen applications yet it has been only in recent years that this prediction has come to pass. The concept of a touch screen computer was first introduced in 1965 by E.A. Johnson who described the possibilities of touch screen technology to support air traffic controllers. In this article Johnson describes how the touch display coupled to a computer can be considered as a keyboard, a novel approach at the time. Touch screens were brought into the public domain in 1971 by Elographics, Inc. which instigated the development of public touch screen technology such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and information kiosks (Brown et al., 2011). Another milestone in the history of touch technology was the introduction of the personal touch screen computer, HP-150, developed by Hewlett-Packard in 1983 (Sukumar, 1984). The purpose of this early design was to offer individuals an intuitive technology option. Although touch screen systems have maintained this intuitiveness and ease of use over the years, problems that existed with early systems still provide challenges for designers and developers to this day. Document type: Part of book or chapter of boo

Effects of target expansion on selection performance in older computer users

Point and click interactions using a mouse are an integral part of computer use for current desktop systems. Compared with younger users though, older adults experience greater difficulties performing cursor positioning tasks, and this can present limitations to using a computer easily and effectively. Target expansion is a technique for improving pointing performance, where the target dynamically grows as the cursor approaches. This has the advantage that targets conserve screen real estate in their unexpanded state, yet can still provide the benefits of a larger area to click on. This paper presents two studies of target expansion with older and younger participants, involving multidirectional point-select tasks with a computer mouse. Study 1 compares static versus expanding targets, and Study 2 compares static targets with three alternative techniques for expansion. Results show that expansion can improve times by up to 14%, and reduce error rates by up to 50%. Additionally, expanding targets are beneficial even when the expansion happens late in the movement, i.e. after the cursor has reached the expanded target area or even after it has reached the original target area. Participants’ subjective feedback on the target expansion are generally favorable, and this lends further support for the technique

Age, Performance and Retention Interval Effects on Acceptance of a Consumer Health Information Technology System

The older adult population will continue to place pressure on the financial and resource allocation of the healthcare industry as the over 65 population continues to grow. Health care expenditures to treat the aging population will continue to rise as older adults are more likely to have expensive chronic conditions. The future may lay with Consumer Health Information Technology which may allow the patients to have more control of their treatment schedule and self-management of their health and chronic conditions. However, older adults may exhibit cognitive declines that prohibit the learning and proper use of technology, and this assumption is a major inhibitor towards full implementation. This study used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology questionnaire to measure the acceptance of an over-the-counter blood pressure monitor. Twenty-six participants trained themselves to use the device and then measured their blood pressure and uploaded that data to a web software client for their potential healthcare givers for two sessions, one week apart. The results showed that older adults’ ability to perform tasks and limit errors after a retention period is worse when compared to younger adults. However, this performance decline after the retention interval did not result in a decline in the participants’ intention to use the device, showing that even with difficulty when using a novel medical device the older adults still rated that they would intend to use the device similarly to the younger cohort. These systems show the promise of ultimately relieving some of the cost burden and stress on the health industry by having more constant care and reducing hospital readmission rates but may require targeted training for older adults to better maintain task performance

Computer Anxiety and Computer Self-Efficacy of Older Adults

Many older adults (aged 55 and older) need training to acquire computer knowledge and skills. Using computers and the Internet could provide access to vital resources for improving older adults\u27 health and maintaining their connections with family and society. This study examined 2 psychological constructs--computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy--that have been shown to impact a person\u27s successful use of computers and related technology. Guided by Bandura\u27s self-efficacy theory, which emphasizes the importance of adult learners being motivated and taking charge of their learning, this study examined the impact of a computer knowledge and skills workshop on older adults\u27 computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy. A concurrent, mixed-methods design was used to collect and analyze survey data and interview transcripts from a convenience sample of African American older adults (N = 11). Mobile technology (i.e., tablet PCs and portable hotspots) was used to access the Internet and e-mail. Data analyses included thematic coding of the interview notes and descriptive statistics to present the survey results. The themes that emerged from the interview data were learning opportunities, positive attitudes, and user-friendly tools and equipment for reducing computer anxiety and constructive attitude changes and learning environments for improving computer self-efficacy. The descriptive statistics indicated favorable changes for computer anxiety with scores averaging a decrease of -26.5% and computer self-efficacy with scores averaging an increase of 62.1%. This study illustrated the feasibility of a low-cost approach for establishing a mobile computer laboratory to help older persons become proficient in their use of computers, the Internet, and related technology