Exploring Older Adults’ Adoption and Use of a Tablet Computer During COVID-19: Longitudinal Qualitative Study (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED As mobile computing technology evolves, such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, it increasingly offers features that may be particularly beneficial to older adults. However, the digital divide exists, and many older adults have been shown to have difficulty using these devices. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified how much older adults need but are excluded from having access to and comfort with technologies to meet essential daily needs and overcome physical distancing restrictions. This study sought to understand how older adults who had never used a tablet computer learn to use it, what they want to use it for, and what barriers they experience as they continue to use it during social isolation by the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with eight people aged 65 and older for 16 weeks, investigating older novice users’ learning and use of a tablet computer over time. The results show that our participants were willing to learn and successfully used a tablet for entertainment, social connectedness, and information-seeking purposes. However, it was not through acquiring sufficient digital skills but by incorporating the method they are already familiar with in its operation – Pen-and-paper. With these findings, we conclude by discussing how to help older adults better utilize digital devices for quality of later life.