scholarly journals Usability-In-Place—Remote Usability Testing Methods for Homebound Older Adults: Rapid Literature Review

10.2196/26181 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. e26181
Author(s):  
Jordan R Hill ◽  
Janetta C Brown ◽  
Noll L Campbell ◽  
Richard J Holden
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Usability Testing ◽  
Remote Access ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Testing Methods ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Homebound Older Adults ◽  
Remote Usability Testing

Background Technology can benefit older adults in many ways, including by facilitating remote access to services, communication, and socialization for convenience or out of necessity when individuals are homebound. As people, especially older adults, self-quarantined and sheltered in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of usability-in-place became clear. To understand the remote use of technology in an ecologically valid manner, researchers and others must be able to test usability remotely. Objective Our objective was to review practical approaches for and findings about remote usability testing, particularly remote usability testing with older adults. Methods We performed a rapid review of the literature and reported on available methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and practical recommendations. This review also reported recommendations for usability testing with older adults from the literature. Results Critically, we identified a gap in the literature—a lack of remote usability testing methods, tools, and strategies for older adults, despite this population’s increased remote technology use and needs (eg, due to disability or technology experience). We summarized existing remote usability methods that were found in the literature as well as guidelines that are available for conducting in-person usability testing with older adults. Conclusions We call on the human factors research and practice community to address this gap to better support older adults and other homebound or mobility-restricted individuals.

scholarly journals Usability-In-Place—Remote Usability Testing Methods for Homebound Older Adults: Rapid Literature Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan R Hill ◽  
Janetta C Brown ◽  
Noll L Campbell ◽  
Richard J Holden
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Usability Testing ◽  
Remote Access ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Testing Methods ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Homebound Older Adults ◽  
Remote Usability Testing

BACKGROUND Technology can benefit older adults in many ways, including by facilitating remote access to services, communication, and socialization for convenience or out of necessity when individuals are homebound. As people, especially older adults, self-quarantined and sheltered in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of usability-in-place became clear. To understand the remote use of technology in an ecologically valid manner, researchers and others must be able to test usability remotely. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to review practical approaches for and findings about remote usability testing, particularly remote usability testing with older adults. METHODS We performed a rapid review of the literature and reported on available methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and practical recommendations. This review also reported recommendations for usability testing with older adults from the literature. RESULTS Critically, we identified a gap in the literature—a lack of remote usability testing methods, tools, and strategies for older adults, despite this population’s increased remote technology use and needs (eg, due to disability or technology experience). We summarized existing remote usability methods that were found in the literature as well as guidelines that are available for conducting in-person usability testing with older adults. CONCLUSIONS We call on the human factors research and practice community to address this gap to better support older adults and other homebound or mobility-restricted individuals.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Adaptations to the Call for Social Distancing and Use of Technology: Insights From Socioemotional Selectivity Theory and Lived Experiences

2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482199686
Author(s):  
Shoshana H. Bardach ◽  
Elizabeth K. Rhodus ◽  
Kelly Parsons ◽  
Allison K. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Technology Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Socioemotional Selectivity ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Comparison Approach

Social distancing guidelines during COVID can be isolating, especially for older adults, with potential for poor health outcomes. Technology offers opportunities for remote connection, yet, older adults’ use of and perspectives on technology during this time remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into older adults’ technology use and preferences to inform the development of a technology training intervention to support older adult well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 older adults. Interviews were analyzed using an iterative, constant comparison approach. Findings were consistent with Socioemotional Selectivity Theory; respondents were primarily interested in technology to support emotionally meaningful goals. Participants indicated limited interest in technology training, referencing diminished future time perspectives to explain disinterest. Findings suggest that efforts to encourage older adults’ expanded technology adoption should highlight how use supports emotionally meaningful goals and provide low-effort, timely training, tied to specific and clear applications.

scholarly journals Technology implementation in delivery of healthcare to older people: how can the least voiced in society be heard?

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne van Zaalen ◽  
Mary McDonnell ◽  
Barbara Mikołajczyk ◽  
Sandra Buttigieg ◽  
Maria del Carmen Requena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Great Emphasis ◽  
Older Person ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Use Of Technology

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on ethical and judicial themes related to technology and the older adults.Design/methodology/approachDifferent consecutive phases in technology design and allocation will be discussed from a range of perspectives.FindingsLongevity is one of the greatest achievements of contemporary science and a result of development of social relations. Currently, various non-communicable diseases affect older adults and impose the greatest burden on global health. There is a great emphasis across Europe on caring for the older person in their own homes. Technology has a mediating role in determining the possibilities for good quality of life (QOL). The concept of assisting the older adult through the use of technology so as to access healthcare services has enormous potential. Although the potential of technology in healthcare is widely recognised, technology use can have its downsides. Professionals need to be aware of the risks, namely, those related to the privacy of the older person, which may accompany technology use.Research limitations/implicationsBy 2050, there will be more people aged over 65 than there are children. This phenomenon of global ageing constitutes a massive challenge in the area of health protection.Practical implicationsProfessionals need to be aware of the risks, for example, related to the privacy of the older person, that may accompany technology use.Social implicationsThere is a great emphasis across Europe on caring for the older person in their own homes. Technology has a mediating role in determining the possibilities for QOL.Originality/valueThe concept of assisting the older adult through the use of technology to avail of healthcare has enormous potential. Assistive technology, social media use and augmentative and alternative communication can have a positive effect on the QOL of older people, as long as they are supported enough in use of these technologies. However, ethical and juridical considerations are at stake as well.

scholarly journals OLDER ADULTS’ SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND WELL-BEING IN A DIGITAL WORLD

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S14-S14
Author(s):  
Shannon T Mejia ◽  
Sara J Czaja
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Abstract As adults age into a digitally connected world, communication technologies such as the internet, email, social media, and video chats offer new opportunities to connect with others. The implications of older adults’ use of technology in the context of their social relationships—such as the implications for social integration, the relational circumstances of technology adoption, implications for daily experiences of well-being, and opportunities to form new relationships—are less understood. This symposium brings together diverse and complementary perspectives on the contribution of technology to older adults’ social experiences. We begin with inquiry into implications of internet use for social integration. Hees and colleagues use data from the German Ageing Survey to examine how internet use is associated with change in loneliness over a three-year period in older adults who are either before or after retirement. Our symposium continues with papers on technology use within the context of older adults’ existing close relationships. Chopik examines individual and dyadic predictors of technology adoption. Mejía and colleagues consider the implications for digital social interactions for older adult’s well-being on that day. Our final paper discusses the potential for technology to aid in the development of new relationships. Rogers and colleagues describe findings from their OneClick.chat project, a web-based video chat application that connects older adults based on their shared interests. Our session concludes with a discussion led by Czaja, who will integrate the four papers and discuss the challenges and opportunities of using technology to support older adults’ social relationships and well-being.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Perceptions of ICT: Main Findings from the Technology In Later Life (TILL) Study

Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Ramsden Marston ◽  
Rebecca Genoe ◽  
Shannon Freeman ◽  
Cory Kulczycki ◽  
Charles Musselwhite
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Impact Behavior ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The Impact

Technology is entwined in 21st Century society, and within the lives of people across all ages. The Technology In Later Life (TILL) study is the first piece of work contributing to the impact, behavior, and perception of technology use, by adults aged ≥70 years, residing in rural and suburban areas. TILL is an international, multi-centred, multi-methods study investigating and conceptualizing how various technologies impact the lives of older adults; residing in urban and rural locations in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. This in-depth study recruited 37 participants via a multi-methods approach. Analysis of the findings ascertained two overarching themes: facilitators of technology use (i.e., sharing of information and feeling secure), and detractors of technology (i.e., feelings of apprehension of use). Proposed recommendations include promotion of technology from a strengths-based perspective focusing on positive opportunities technology to improve health and wellbeing, creating a peer support network to assist with learning of new technology, and the need to examine further how intergenerational relationships may be enhanced through the use of technology. The distinction of these themes narrates to the originality of this initial study and milieu of recruited participants, intersecting across the fields of gerontology, geography, social sciences, and gerontechnology.

Does Education Level-Out Expectable Everyday Technology Device Differences in Older Adults with and without Mild Cognitive Impairment?

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Use Of Technology

Objectives: The competent use of technology is increasingly essential for quality of life in old age, hence autonomy, well-being, security, and participation. However, the potential of technology use for the large group of those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) being at risk for losing their independence needs more research. In this work, we concentrate on the role of education and examine whether its impact for technology performance differs among those with and without MCI.

Promoting Family Involvement through Using Technology

2010 ◽  
pp. 149-161
Author(s):  
Vivian Gunn Morris ◽  
Satomi Izumi-Taylor ◽  
Cheri Lewis Smith ◽  
Denise L. Winsor
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Family Involvement ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
School Communication ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The Family ◽  
Problems And Solutions

In this chapter the authors have provided an overview of some of the ideas about families and technology use in early childhood programs. The four authors are university faculty and provide their thinking and some experiences with family involvement and teacher training. The chapter is framed with the idea that families are the first teachers of children and play a major role in learning. There is a special introductory section written by Denise Winsor, who piloted the Family Builders and Family Preservation grants in the 1980’s. Winsor provides insight into the role of family in early childhood education. The next section explores technology that is used to facilitate family involvement and building family involvement through technology. The authors briefly discuss some of the issues, problems and solutions to technology within family relationships and the role you might play as a professional. They try to address the advantages and disadvantages of family/school communication approaches to developing technology relationships with caregivers. They have included some real world examples from practitioners and how they help our students conceptualize technology use with families. The last section includes helpful advice for families concerning appropriate use of technology with their child. The authors hope this chapter helps you think about the role of families in your classroom and how technology can work for the development of stronger relationships as well as academic support.

Encouraging Social Inclusion for Older Adults Through “Interest”-Led Technology Use

2019 ◽  
pp. 226-243
Author(s):  
Jeanie Beh ◽  
Bruno Mascitelli ◽  
Sonja Pedell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Touch Screen ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Adoption Of Technology ◽  
Use Of Technology

There are many misconceptions about older adults' capabilities and aspirations, and especially their attitudes and approach towards technology. They are often misunderstood and seen as uninterested and unmotivated to engage with use of technology. Due to an absence of an “interest” framework for older adults to learn mobile touch screen technologies, this chapter investigates the role that pre-existing interests play in older adults' adoption of technology. Can a curriculum guided only by pre-existing interests of older adults, rather than a structured curriculum have a positive influence on its adoption for mobile touch screen technologies? The results show that when older adults are taught according to requests based on their pre-existing interests, it encouraged long-term adoption of technology including building up their confidence in usage of mobile touch screen technologies.

scholarly journals The Effect of Technology Use in Reducing Social Isolation or Loneliness in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 927-927
Author(s):  
Yoon Chung Kim ◽  
Gail Kohn ◽  
Carenado Davis ◽  
Pamela Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
National Emergency

Abstract The US population over 65 is projected to increase to 21% by 2050. Given mobility issues arising from health concerns, economic status changes, loss of friends and partners, older people are at a higher risk for social isolation and loneliness. Since the declaration of national emergency for COVID-19 on March 13, 2020, many older adults have not been able to connect with others in traditional ways. Instead, activities and contacts have been facilitated virtually via videoconferencing or phone calls to maintain physical and social distance. Amidst COVID-19, the transition to using technologies to connect socially and reduce loneliness has been a critical factor in preventing social isolation and loneliness. Identifying effective strategies involving the use of technology, designing new ways to deliver services virtually, and developing educational programs to promote technology is vitally necessary. This systematic review explored the relationship between technology use and social isolation or loneliness, and examined interventions that reduced social isolation in older adults. A unified strategy was used to systematically search seven databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and AgeLine) to examine qualitative and quantitative studies published in English between 2010 and 2020. Preliminary results indicate that technology can alleviate social isolation and loneliness in older adults despite some mixed results. The findings of this study will provide a foundation for policymakers and practitioners to shape policies and design programs that help older adults to alleviate social isolation and loneliness, particularly amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Perspectives of Stakeholders on Technology Use in the Care of Community-Living Older Adults with Dementia: A Systematic Literature Review

Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonieke van Boekel ◽  
Eveline Wouters ◽  
Bea Grimberg ◽  
Nardo van der Meer ◽  
Katrien Luijkx
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Community Living ◽  
Formal Caregivers ◽  
Peace Of Mind ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Privacy And Confidentiality

Although technology has the potential to promote aging in place, the use of technology remains scarce among community-living older adults with dementia. A reason might be that many stakeholders are involved who all have a different perspective on technology use (i.e., needs, wishes, attitudes, possibilities, and difficulties). We systematically searched the literature in order to provide an overview of perspectives of different stakeholders on technology use among community-living older adults with dementia. After selection, 46 studies were included. We mainly found perspectives of informal caregivers and, to a lesser extent, of persons with dementia and formal caregivers. Perspectives of suppliers of technology were not present. Shared perspectives among persons with dementia and informal and formal caregivers were, among other things, ease of use, stability and flexibility of technology, importance of privacy, and confidentiality. We also found that among older persons, fun and pleasure, in addition to enhancing freedom and independence, facilitates technology use. Informal caregivers’ peace of mind and relief of burden also appeared to be important in using technologies. Formal caregivers value the potential of technologies to improve monitoring and communication. Insight in shared, and conflicting perspectives of stakeholders are essential to enhance the use of technology.

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