Tutorials

This tutorial provides an overview of research on the psychology of aging and interface design. Rather than offering simple guidelines, we describe physiological, sensory, cognitive and social changes associated with aging. This theoretical underpinning provides will allow designers to confidently and effectively design for the graying population.

PARTICIPANT KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE EXPECTED

Participants should be familiar with basic usability techniques. However, there is no assumption that they are familiar with the cognition of aging.

Learning Objectives

Individual who participate in this session will gain an nderstanding of

• how technology can/has influenced the process of aging in the US
• the demographics and activities of older individuals on the web (Who are they? How do they get there? What do they do? How often do they do it?)
• the physiological, sensory, cognitive and social changes associated with aging.
• the implications of age-associated change on the user-centered design process (including both data gathering and design)
• the distinction between design and deign for aging
  

TakeAways

• Throughout the tutorial, participants will learn tips and tricks for interacting with and designing for older users.
• They will learn simple, low cost ways to simulate aging to allow (other) designers to experience the user view of typical internet design.
• They will receive a convenient, one-page set of research-based guidelines for effective design for aging.

HOW THIS TUTORIAL WILL BE CONDUCTED

This tutorial alternates between presentation, hands-on discovery and discussion/debriefing. The majority of the time will be devoted to hands-on discovery and discussion.

To achieve the goals of this tutorial for this audience, some  Lecture/Presentation is necessary in to ensure that participants develop a foundational understanding our empirical understanding of cognition and aging. Presentation materials are designed so that lecture-based presentation never exceeds 30 minutes. Lecture is punctuated by frequent questions to the participants. The questions range from

• “Have you experienced anything like this?” which allows for direct application of just-learned materials through deconstruction of experience. punctuated by exploratory activities and discussion.
• “Why would we, as designers, care?” which engages participants to generate real-world applications for just-learned materials
• “How will designing for aging affect the experiences of the rest of the user population” which encourages the generation of real world solutions reflecting a balance between the needs of various user groups.

Activities are designed to reinforce the just-experienced materials. In addition, they are designed to provide participants an opportunity to build upon materials and experiences presented earlier in the day.

Interactives are completed collaboratively to encourage collaborative discussion and experience sharing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TUTORIAL

8:30-9:00 Getting Set Up Willing participants will be asked to bring wireless enabled laptops for use during the tutorial. We will set aside this time, before the seminar begins, to set up.

9:00-9:10 Introduction & Logistics

9:10-9:30 Sociology, Technology and Aging Exploration of Modernization Theory and its revisions

Group Discussion: How have technologies such as the internet have modified the disengagement process often thought to accompany aging? What are some of the challenges older individuals face in the adoption of emerging technologies?

9:30 – 10:15 Experiential Learning: Usability Testing with under conditions of Simulated Aging

Discuss the experience Prior to the tutorial, the instructor will develop brief usability testing scripts to quickly evaluate:

• An Interactive Voice Response System
• A Web Site

During the exercise, the participants will work in small groups (# per group will depend on the laptop situation). Ideally the participants will work in pairs. Each group will be given an ‘aging kit.’ The elements in the kit will degrade the sensory capacities. These kits, which can essentially be replicated in everyone’s’ bathroom, include some combination of

• cotton balls to diminish hearing capacity
• glasses to simulate vision deficiencies (smearing Vaseline simulate cataracts; dark film over the center simulates macular degeneration)
• gloves to simulate arthritis and/or diminished tactile sensation.

During the IVR testing simulation one group member will be the ‘older person’ and the other will be the test moderator. The participants will switch roles for the web site testing section. For both testing sessions, the tasks are designed to represent increase cognitive load (either via required dual tasking or similar means.) Discussion: What was the experience of trying to use technology with limited sensory capacities like? What was the experience of testing an individual with limited sensory capacities like? Do you see any implications for user-centered design? User centered testing?

10:20-10:30 Break

10:30-10:45 Demographics of Older Users Review recent statistics/research on who is there; How they learn about the web; What they are doing; How they are getting thereDiscussion: How will the demographic trends that we are seeing now change in the next 25 years (particularly with respect to our assumptions about older individuals experience with technology)? How might that change design?

10:45-11:00 Basic Cognition Introduction/Review Introduce the basic domains of cognition and map them to interaction/task design. (Attention, Learning, Memory, Language)Demonstrations and Interactions Simple in-your-seat participant driven demonstrations are embedded in these materials to bring the theory to life.

11:00-11:45 Sensory/physiological change associated with age: Vision· Audition· Tactile Sensation· Movement

Review research on trends in physiological/sensory changes Demonstrations and Interactions The presentation of materials will be dotted with in-your-seat interactive demonstrations to bring the material to life. For example, participants will experience the degeneration of color contrast in aging by being given yellow sunglasses and asked to sort M&Ms by color. In addition, when possible we will present videos to simulate the experiences of individuals with various types of normal and pathological age-associated decline. For example, we will present eye-tracking video simulating site users who present with macular degeneration.

Crossing the Research-to-design Chasm (discussion questions): How can technology compensate for sensory or cognitive changes? How do these changes impact the design at the task or page level?

11:45-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:45 Cognitive changes associated with age:· Attention· Memory· Language· Learning

Review of research on trends in Cognitive Aging, Demonstrations and Interactions The presentation of materials will be dotted with in-your-seat interactive demonstrations to bring the material to life. For example, participants will experience the misapplication of strategies/inflexibility in problem solving through demonstrations of ‘mental set’Crossing the Chasm (discussion questions): How will these age-related impact the way that usability professionals must approach the stages of user-centered design (e.g., interviews, detailed design, testing)?

1:45-2:05 Field Trip to the Bathroom Participants will be sent to their rooms (!) to evaluate the usability of their rooms (and particularly their bathrooms). They will be encouraged to go in small groups, if they are comfortable doing so. The instructor’s hotel room will be fair game, as well. They will be asked to quickly sketch and justify of an improved faucet design based on the age related changes and challenges presented so far.

2:05-2:20 Debrief/Discussion on Field Exercise In small groups, participants will review and recommend design changes to either their own sites/applications (preferred) or to the IVR and Web interfaces that that were tested in the simulation earlier in the day.

2:20-2:35 Break

2:35-3:00 Expert Review with an Eye for Aging

2:50-3:00 Discuss/Debrief Small groups will review either their own site or a common interface. They will be encouraged to identify design elements and/or task flow processes that present special challenges for the aging population.

2:45-3:00 Social Changes associated with Age This material provides a cursory review of changes in motivation structure, expectations and social support systems available to the aging population.

3:00-3:45 Experiential Learning: (Re-)Design for Aging Challenge This exercise pulls the content of the day together by having participants apply their learnings actively in the redesign process. In small groups, participants will review and recommend design changes to either their own sites/applications or, if they choose, to a common site (perhaps the IVR and Web interfaces that that were tested in the simulation earlier in the day). Participants will work in small groups to identify the elements of design to Participants will Present their re-designs recommendations for feedback and discussion

3:45-4:00 The real world Special challenges when working with older populations, including older individuals with specific neurodegenerative pathologies. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences

4:00-4:15 What’s different? Warm-down discussion: How does designing for an aging population critically differ from design for a younger one?

4:15-4:30 Questions, Course Reviews and Debrief

SPEAKER BIO

Kathleen A. Straub, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist / Executive Managing Director
Human Factors International

Dr. Kathleen Straub is the Chief Scientist and an active project lead at Human Factors International. In that role, splits her time between hands-on design/strategic consulting, formal usability testing and teaching/mentoring. In her consulting engagements, she applies a range of user-centered design strategies to develop and test customer and citizen-centric interface designs. In addition, Kath provides strategic support to institutions and organizations working to socialize and institutionalize their usability efforts. Kath has developed and presented instructional materials in both professional (usability) and academic/scientific (psychology & cognitive science) training environments. Finally, she actively collaborates with colleagues from government and academia on a number of research projects focusing on basic usability issues and, periodically, psycholinguistics.

Kath is a member of the UPA, APA Division 21 (Engineering Psychology), ACM SIGCHI and the Psychonomic Society of America.