Title
Introducing the Internet to the over-60s: Developing an email system for older novice computer users
Abstract
Contemporary technology offers many benefits to older people, but these are often rendered inaccessible through poor software design. As the Internet increasingly becomes a source of information and services it is vital to ensure that older people can access these resources. As part of project funded by the UK government, a multi-disciplinary team set out to develop usable software that would help to introduce older people to the Internet. The first step was to develop an email system for older people with no experience of Internet use. The project was intended to show that it is possible to design usable technology for this group and to explore some of the issues involved in doing so. Design and technical challenges necessitated various tradeoffs. The system produced demonstrated the success of the design decisions: it was significantly easier to use than, and preferred to, a commercial equivalent by a group of older people with no experience of Internet use.
Year
DOI
Venue
2005
10.1016/j.intcom.2005.09.003
Interacting with Computers
Keywords
Field
DocType
uk government,internet use,email system,older people,usability,digital inclusion,design decision,design,poor software design,usable technology,email,contemporary technology,commercial equivalent,usable software,older novice computer user,internet,software design
USable,Internet Draft,World Wide Web,Software design,Computer science,Usability,Digital inclusion,Software,Multimedia,Government,The Internet
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
17
6
Interacting with Computers
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
54
3.69
21
Authors
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Anna Dickinson134128.83
Alan F. Newell2936158.25
Michael J. Smith3966321.29
Robin L. Hill419613.74