Smartphone Evaluation Heuristics for Older Adults

Date
2013-02-20
Authors
Calak, Piotr
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Guelph
Abstract

Age-related physical and cognitive changes hinder the ability of older adults to operate smartphones. While many user interface (UI) heuristics exist today, there is a need for an updated set designed specifically to assess the usability of mobile devices for an older audience. Smartphone evaluation heuristics for older adults based on age-related changes in vision, hearing, attention, memory and motor control were developed in this thesis by analyzing literature on age-related physical and cognitive changes impacting smartphone usability. Support for heuristics was found by gathering information on how older adults use cell phones through interviews and an online survey. It was demonstrated that strength of support for some heuristics increases with age. The evaluated heuristics provide usability practitioners and designers with a framework for evaluating the usability of smartphones for older adults.

Description
Keywords
User Experience, UX, Human-Computer Interaction, HCI, Smartphone Evaluation, Smartphone Design, Age-related Heuristics, Smartphone Heuristics, Smartphone Evaluation, Age-related Changes, Aging, HCI, Gerontology, Older Adults, Cognitive Aging, Motor Control, Physical Aging, Loss of Vision, Loss of Hearing, Tactile Sensitivity, User Interface Design, UI, Usability Testing, Usability Evaluation, Heuristic Evaluation, Online Survey Older Adults, Touchscreen, Target Size, Seniors
Citation