No Elder Left Behind: Researchers Say Designers Can
Close Tech Gap for Senior Citizens
Extra time and effort required to learn a new skill
are among the reasons older adults are less motivated to learn new
skills
Oct.
23, 2009 - While more older adults than ever are using cell phones and
computers, a technology gap still exists that threatens to turn senior
citizens into second-class citizens, according to Florida State
University researchers.
Both
the attitudes and abilities of older adults pose barriers to adopting
new forms of technology, according to Neil Charness, the William G.
Chase Professor of Psychology, and Walter R. Boot, an assistant
professor of psychology.
The
technology gap is a problem because technology, particularly computer
and Internet technology, is becoming ubiquitous, and full participation
in society becomes more difficult for those without such access, said
Charness, who along with Boot received a $1.5 million, five-year
subcontract from a National Institute of Aging grant to support the
Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement
(CREATE).
Established a decade ago, the center is comprised
of researchers at FSU, the University of Miami and the Georgia Institute
of Technology, who study ways to increase technology use in order to
promote cognition and health in older Americans.
From booking airline tickets to seeking health care
information, almost everything is easier, cheaper or faster online.
Older adults who may be less mobile in particular stand to benefit from
innovations such as online banking. But there is a sharp decline in
Internet use after age 65, the researchers said, citing a 2007 Pew
Tracking Survey that showed 85 percent of adults in 18-24, 25-34 and
35-44 age groups used the Internet.
Neil Charness and
Walter Boot
By contrast, only 39 percent of adults between 65
and 74, and 24 percent of adults between 75 and 84 were Internet users.
Declining cognitive processes, decreased memory
capacity and difficulty maintaining attention -- all part of the normal
aging process -- can make it difficult for seniors to learn new skills.
Charness said, it takes older adults roughly twice
as long as younger people to learn a new word processor, like Microsoft
Word, under self-paced learning conditions. Thats true even for older
adults who have prior experience with another word processor.
The extra time and effort required to learn a new
skill are among the reasons why older adults are generally less
motivated than younger people to learn new skills -- particularly if
they decide that the potential benefits of the new technology are not
worth it.
In addition, seniors may make a greater number of
errors as they interact with technology that was not designed with their
capabilities in mind.
Seniors quite literally perceive new technology
differently than younger adults do. Changes in acuity, color perception
and susceptibility to glare affect the way they see a computer screen.
They also have greater difficulty with fine motor
control and coordination. However, knowing these constraints, designers
can create better products for older adults, the researchers said.
As a result of their research, they are urging
designers to consider those barriers when developing new products.
Charness and Boot will publish a review of the research on the topic in
Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Among their suggestions:
● Create cell phones with simplified menus,
large fonts and buttons and external noise reduction.
● Design Web sites with high contrast
backgrounds and text, larger fonts and minimal scrolling. The sites
should provide navigation aids and instructional support.
Computer games -- such as Nintendos Brain Age --
and software packages that have been developed for and marketed to older
adults may also help reverse age-related declines in perceptual and
cognitive abilities, the researchers said.
There is limited but encouraging evidence that
these so-called brain fitness software packages make a difference in
improving some basic skills, but so far there is little evidence that
they improve older adults quality of life or ability to live
independently, Boot said.
That should be the measure of success in
evaluating these programs.
Although the technology gap between younger and
older adults is expected to lessen over time as more adults grow up
with computers, the problem will not disappear in future generations,
the researchers said.
Thats because technology will undoubtedly continue
to advance rapidly, and age-related declines in cognitive, perceptual
and psychomotor skills will make it more difficult for seniors to keep
up with the changes.
Dont believe it?
Consider that todays seniors grew up with
telephones, and yet they have been much slower to adapt to using cell
phones. Still, those over 65 are more likely to use a cell phone - 46
percent of them do - than use the Internet.
Note: Original report by by Jill
Elish, Florida State University News Service
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Oct.
23, 2009 - While more older adults than ever are using cell phones and
computers, a technology gap still exists that threatens to turn senior
citizens into second-class citizens, according to Florida State
University researchers.
