Usable Technology for Older People:
Inclusive and Appropriate
Around 25 people attended, roughly half of which were members of the Scottish Usability Forum. This was the first SUF event since the Usability & UML Symposium in January.
"Works like a Dream" involved a number of presentations on issues affecting usability, accessibility and the IT needs of older people.
Professor David Benyon opened by describing the UTOPIA project, which involves researchers from Dundee, Abertay, Napier and Glasgow Universities carrying out a number of linked projects.
He highlighted that over-50s control 80% of the wealth, they have significant disposable incomes, but also a number of needs that are currently poorly met. For example 46% of those over 65 have a disability. There are more over-60s than under-16s, and 1.1 million over-80s. He suggested three categories of users with very different needs - the fit elderly, the frail elderly and carers.
He pointed out the considerable commercial opportunities and threats - that older people are not particularly technophobic, the ageing baby boomers, that disabled have a greater need of technical support, that there is now legislation requiring website and other service providers to take reasonable steps not to discriminate against disabled users. "Design for older people and you design for everyone; design for the young and you exclude many" was his evocative theme.
Oli Mival, the Napier researcher on UTOPIA, and organiser of the day, then presented a number of multimedia clips to illustrate progress on the project so far. Older people had proved to be very willing and useful contributors to the project already, through techniques such as focus groups and ethnographic observation of prototype evaluation. One prevaling sentiment was that the technology was "quite fun but a bit of a waste of time", which, I thought, should give pause for thought for anyone who would patronise older people and technology, by not adequately considering their goals.
One of the clips featured a stroke victim, who, now with some speech impairment, found email a boon to maintain communication. She was also a regular online shopper with Boots, Marks & Spencer, Amazon and Dabs, but enjoyed the weekly trip to shop physically at Tescos - which highlights an important balance that is needed. She was also a dab handing at txting, and was fully conversant with the shorthand 4 mbl phn use.
Isobel Linday, 80 years young, gave the shortest, but by far the most entertaining presentation. Describing herself as a member of the dark-grey economy, she described her personal experience with computers that began following widowhood over a decade before, to Windows 3.1.1 through W95 and internet access in 1997 to regular use today. She highlighted the training in the use of a computer and the technical support, that she got from helpful individuals, all of which has enabled her to become independent. She contradicted "the professor" by suggesting that ladies of her generation are terrified of computers. I found this interesting - it's not technophobia, it's a need for detailed initial support for learners who are culturally very motivated to learn.
She now banks on the Internet, and manages databases of her friends, tradespeople and financial transactions (being at an age where, with money, you "use it or lose it"!). She uses email daily, and has realised that she can use games-style software to help her monitor her continued ability to drive - something that had been a worry, despite voluntarily passing an advanced driving test in recent years. It must be difficult to perceive the point at which your own personal abilities are compromised, yet I would not previously have thought of both the need and the solution.
She has a number of other technology devices - buttons by the door and bed to call for help should she ever need them - she doesn't yet, but it is "comforting to know they are there". She enjoys getting "out of her comfort zone" but urged technology designers to make their products user-friendly, aesthetically attractive, simple to use, and "PLEASE, no jargon", finishing to a warm round of applause with the warning "and if you don't produce the products fit for me to use, then I won't buy them!".
It took a double act to follow Isobel's tour de force, and the Sloan brothers - David from Dundee University's Digital Media Action Group, and Martin from Brodie's solicitors took to the stage reminding this member of the audience (using ageing eyesight from the back of the room admittedly) of nothing less than the Proclaimers!
Martin rattled through the relevant legislation, explaining clearly the difference between law, court decisions and precedent from other jurisdictions. The clear message was that developers should ignore at their peril the W3C Web Access Initiative and the Disability Discrimination Act. It seemed quite clear to me that even if you could find a loophole for your clients today, any such solution would become illegal in the near future - thus it is our professional duty to direct clients towards an inclusive, ethical, accessible solution.
There was much more than this short account can allow, but to keep this message brief, I'll touch quickly on the other speakers.
David Sloan gave a checklist of solutions for web developers, which acted as an indicator of the accessibility issues likely to arise in other technology products. He described the abilities of the various assistive technologies but left me convinced that, for example, putting PDFs alone on a website to communicate contents would fail to meet the requirements of the legislation. He pointed out the steps that both Adobe and Macromedia had taken in the latest versions of their tools to allow developers to create content that did meet accessibility needs, but I was reminded of the alternative ways that people create PDFs - which would mean these facilties were not used.
After the coffee break, Chris Rourke of User Vision gave a comprehensive account of the business benefits of both usability and accessibility (and he was careful to delineate between them) Starting from the ISO standard (13407 - User Centred Design), he pointed out how powerful a "button this is to press with clients nowadays". Illustraing the gains in hard cash that accrue from increasing conversion rates (from browsing top purchase) from the typical 1.9%. Amazon and other highly usable sites achieve 9-10% conversion rates, but even a modest increase to less than 3%, would almost double revenues. Moving adriotly through the ways to make a convincing business case, he highlighted some examples of good practice, as well as an entertaining and timely romp through the usability issues in a certain presidential ballot paper in Florida two years ago.
A panel discussion followed, with a variety of questions such as whether laws, rather than guidelines, would help convince clients to incorporate accessbility issues in requirements specifications. I asked whether our use of language in technology is a cultural factor in usability - lycra-clad developers may like to "work out", but the exercising elderly may be fans of "keep-fit". The panel, as for all the questions asked, gave thoughtful and considered answers
Tom McEwan Chair, SUF