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Computers and Senior Citizens: Menu
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Microsoft OneNote
Office OneNote 2007 is a digital notebook that provides people one place to
gather their notes and information, powerful search to find what they are
looking for quickly, and easy-to-use shared notebooks so that they can manage
information overload and work together more effectively.
Unlike paper-based systems, word processing programs, e-mail systems, or other
productivity programs, Office OneNote 2007 delivers the flexibility to gather
and organize text, pictures, digital handwriting, audio and video recordings,
and more — all in one digital notebook on your computer. Office OneNote 2007 can
help you become more productive by keeping the information you need at your
fingertips and reducing time spent searching for information across e-mail
messages, paper notebooks, file folders, and printouts. more
Difference between XP and Vista
Difference between Different Editions of Vista
Because many seniors will be more comfortable with old style telephone, I
recommend the addition of a USB phone handset. A wide variety of these are sold
for use with Skype and other programs.
Modifications to pc environment to ease access
WWW Consortium Suggestions:
The World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative provides a set of
guidelines for web page designers to accommodate a variety of disabilities and
impairments [20]. The following guidelines are particularly pertinent to the
elderly:
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Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content
-
Don't rely on color alone (provide redundant cues)
-
Provide context and orientation information
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Provide clear navigation mechanisms
-
Ensure that documents are clear and simple
Microsoft distributes a freely available white paper on their "Seniors and
Technology" web page. This document describes a number of web page design
guidelines specifically geared toward older adults to address impairments in
vision and motor skills, as well as low bandwidth connections and novice users
[16]. Layout, style, color, contrast, and font choices are all discussed. The
recommendations include:
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Use large areas of white space and small blocks of text
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Provide larger graphics and click targets
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Use contrasting foreground and background colors
-
Minimize blinking images and animation
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Use at least 12-point size fonts and avoid using too many different fonts
Hawthorn [4] provides an even more extensive set of recommendations for
addressing impairments in vision, speech and hearing, psychomotor skills,
attention span, and memory when designing any kind of computer interface for the
elderly. In addition to many of the recommendations already mentioned, he
emphasizes:
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Use layout simplicity, clarity, and consistency
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Use lower frequency tones for sounds
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Design speech recognition software to cope with slower speech
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Allow double-click speeds to be slower
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Avoid delays and distractions to minimize short term memory loss
-
Use only simple, relevant graphics
-
Prefer short text or lists to paragraphs of text
The complexity of a device, particularly of its
interface, greatly affects its ease of use [6]. Many of the comments referred to
psychological barriers related to complexity, indicating that this is a problem.
It is therefore important to keep interfaces simple and have them evaluated by
older people.
One of the possible changes
in the sensory system when growing older is the gradual decrease
of vision.
Elderly people show a
reduction in [6]:
- The width of their visual
field
- Light sensitivity
- Color perceptions
- Resistance to glare
- Dynamic and static acuity
- Contrast sensitivity
- Visual search and
processing
- Pattern recognition
These factors, of course,
should be considered when
elderly people are to use computers.
Basic sets of design
guidelines for interfaces (including websites) are given by various authors
[3, 6, 7]. Web design
guidelines such as [7] and [6] give recommendations on colors, fonts,
navigation, sound, content
and layout and style, and in doing so reflect on these factors.
Examples are that it is
recommended to offer text alternatives for all non-text content [7], to
use large areas of white
space and small blocks of text, or to maximize the contrast between
foreground and background
colors [6].
3
2.1.2 Hearing
Decrease in hearing already
starts around middle-age [8], gradually progressing from then on.
This mostly results in
difficulties in hearing high frequency sounds and hearing sounds in
general around the age of 50
or 60 [4, 8].
In the design of an
interface or website for
elderly people, this means that when sound is used,
this should be in lower
frequency ranges than usual [6].
2.1.3 Motor skills
As can be seen when
observing elderly
people, age brings changes in motor skills. Some of
the motor changes are [9]:
- Decreased speed of
movement
- Subtle decline in strength
and endurance
- Changes in balance and
coordination
- Possible extrapyramidal
signs (involuntary movement, tremor, restlesness, etc.)
- Flexed posture
All measurements of motor
skills described by Dix et al. [10], being movement time, reaction
time and accuracy, decline
as a person is reaches old age [5].
The way people move affects
the way in which they use a
computer [10]. Therefore, the
mentioned changes need to be
adressed when designing for
elderly users of computers.
Dickinson et al. [3]
describe that this can be done “by removing, where possible, the need to
carry out complex actions
using the mouse, presenting larger targets and removing menus.”
Langdon et al. [11] give an
option for adjusted targeting, namely the use of an “attractive
basin”, which is a “circular
region around the (on-screen) target that causes the cursor to
become subject to a constant
spring force towards the centre” and helps users with
haptic/involuntary and
inaccurate movements.
2.2 Cognitive changes
As people reach old age, in
general, their cognitive skills deteriorate, which affects their
learning capability [13].
Some claim this is not universally age-related [14], but the research
described in this are shows
that within the use of computers by
elderly, the previous
assumption can be made.
According to Zajicek,
specifically age related memory changes and their effects on learning
are the main reason for the
difficulties older people have in using computers [13]. Research in
this so called Age
Associated Memory Impairment (AAMI) shows that it affects the “fluid”
memory mostly and that it
leaves the “fixed/crystallized” memory (knowledge and skills)
relatively untouched. This
fluid memory, which is described by Stuart-Hamilton as “the
ability to solve problems
for which there are no solutions derivable from formal training or
4
cultural practices [13]”, is
exactly the type of memory that is needed for learning the use of
computers [13].
As Zajicek points out, other
research shows that older people have more difficulties in
retracing and navigating a
route, which can be compared with the type of navigational skills
that are needed on the
Internet [13].
Elderly people do
however compensate for AAMI by developing a number of strategies that
are acquired trough
experience [3, 13]. One of those strategies is the use of a mental model
that is related to another
type of technology which they understand. When using a
computer
application, for example,
the older user could think of a video recorder [13], and when in need
of remembering a sequence of
actions, they write them down an paper [3]. The latter strategy
could take time, but has
good results [3]. With the first example however, I think it has to be
made sure that not a wrong
mental model is adopted, a model that limits the understanding of
the new technology (in this
case the computer).
Learning styles of people
with learning difficulties could apply to
elderly users of
computers,
as we have seen that most
elders suffer from working memory impairments. The assumption
that a
computer user will
learn by exploring and drawing related conclusions which are fed
into a mental model, does
not count for users with learning difficulties [3]. These users work
more slowly and randomly, do
not explore because they do not know what to do and when
exploring, they are not able
to store conclusions effectively in a mental model [3].
Zajicek however, draws the
conclusion that elderly
people are still able to learn, but “that
knowledge of AAMI indicates
that a different type of interaction, one that uses aspects of
cognition that are less
likely to be impaired” [13].
3 Designing with these
changes in mind
Ogozalek shows that
elderly people prefer
multimedia interfaces (that i.e. consist of video
presentation aspects) from
printed text and all-text interfaces, concluding that certain aspects
of an interface can make
information more accessible for
elderly users.
Next to the possible
solutions to address the age-related changes that have been mentioned in
the previous section,
Dickinson et al. [3] give an overview of aspects to cope with when
designing interfaces for
people with disabilities and older people. They consider the following
problems regarding
traditional WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointers) interfaces:
- Excess interface
complexity due to excess functionality. A possible solution to
minimize the number of
functions is that of removing all of them and carefully re-
introducing functions that
are deemed to be vital. Also, when there is no evidence of
usefulness of a function, it
should be discarded.
- WIMP interfaces often use
layered menus, which can be a problem to older or (both
memory and motor) impaired
users, as users must remember the existence of
‘invisible’ options and the
sequence of actions that lead to them, and physically carry
out these actions. This can
also be adressed by minimizing functionality and by
representing functions as
simple icons on the desktop in a minimal tree-structure. This
might not always be
possible, this being a topic for future research.
- “Drag & drop” has
traditionally been used to interact with a WIMP system. This is
complicated for people with
restricted motor control and for novice users. Variations,
such as selecting a piece of
text, are even more demanding. Changing the “drag &
drop” principle proved to
affect people with computer
experience, so the solution
might be found in making it
possible to manipulate objects not only by using the
mouse, but also by using for
example the keyboard.
- WIMP systems normally do
not give immediate feedback, due to the complexity, like
the sequence of actions
needed to change font colors in Word. Users only get to see
the change they make after
confirming hte final step in the sequence, which can be
confusing to novice users.
This can be countered depending on the target users, by for
example “direct
manipulation”, by which the effects of an action are immediately
shown on-screen.
- Especially for older
users, the interface should be consitant throughout the application
or website, to minimize
confusion in navigation.
Additional guidelines have
been suggested for even more specific use, such as spoken
interfaces [20].
http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:cbNt8sSxv0QJ:collab.ist.psu.edu/future-fall2008/team-space/life-long-engagement/life-long-engagment-files/HCI_Essay_Marek_van_de_Watering.pdf+computer+usage+by+elderly&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
elderly interface adaptability software
ibm web interactability software
http://www.webadapt.org/ibm/about/default.php?PageID=2