This study aimed to understand the perceptions of young computing science students about women and older people with regard to their computer literacy and how this may affect the design of computer-based systems. Based on photos, participants were asked how likely they thought the person depicted would be to use desktop computers, laptops and smartphones, and how much expertise they thought they would have with each technology. Furthermore, in order to see what impact this could have on systems being developed, we asked what design aspects would be important for the depicted person and whether they thought an adapted technology would be required. This study is based on an existing questionnaire, which was translated into German and extended to explore what impact this may have on system design. The results draw on 200 questionnaires from students in the first year of their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) studies at an Austrian university of applied sciences. Quantitative methods were used to determine if the perceptions varied significantly based on the age and gender of the people depicted. Qualitative analysis was used to evaluate the design aspects mentioned. The results show that there are biases against both older people and women with respect to their perceived expertise with computers. This is also reflected in the design aspects thought to be important for the different cohorts. This is crucial as future systems will be designed by the participants, and these biases may influence whether future systems meet the needs and wishes of all groups or increase the digital divide.

We investigated the perceptions of young computing science students about older people with regard to computer-based systems. Participants were shown a picture of either an old or young woman or man and asked to assess that persons computer literacy and suggest appropriate design aspects for them. The goal of this study was to see if the biases against older people and their perceived computer literacy extend to the design of systems for them.The results draw on 216 questionnaires from students in the first year of their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) studies at an Austrian university of applied sciences. Mixed methods were used to explore the differences between the perceived design needs for older and younger people, and how these relate to the components of user experience and accessibility.The results show that the design aspects mentioned for older people differ greatly from those mentioned for younger. Whereas for younger people many aspects that could be considered valuable and desirable are mentioned, for older people the focus is on accessibility and usability, almost to the exclusion of aspects that are valuable and desirable. Regarding accessibility, despite the perceived lack of expertise, the focus was on aspects like large fonts. This is concerning, as future systems will be designed by the students of today. These biases may influence whether future systems are acceptable to older people, and hence whether older people will benefit from them.