Senior users of the internet: lessons from the cybernun study

Smith, Jane

doi:10.1007/s10209-003-0084-4

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In [47] it was found that small font sizes, confusing advertisements and the standard mouse were accessibility barriers for nuns to go online. This study was based on a survey measuring life satisfaction and attitudes towards computer use.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 98%

About the relevance of accessibility barriers in the everyday interactions of older people with the web

Sayago

Blat

2009

Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibililty (W4A)

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This paper reports key findings of a 3-year ethnographical study of the everyday interactions of older people with the web. The data consisted of in-situ observations and conversations with 388 older people while using myriads of web and computer technologies daily. The results revealed that the accessibility barriers that had a more negative effect on the daily interactions of older people with the web were due to their difficulties in remembering steps, understanding web and computer jargon and using the mouse, despite their willingness to use it. These obstacles were much more important than those caused by their difficulties perceiving visual information, understanding icons and using the keyboard. The prioritization of barriers was explained by two key aspects in ageing with new technologies, independency and inclusiveness, and a desired condition of web (user) interfaces, consistency in terminology. These results suggest that these three aspects should be considered carefully in enhancing web accessibility for older people, as well as allowing us to grasp older people's everyday web accessibility barriers. The paper discusses possible ways of making use of these findings to make the web more accessible to older people.

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 98%

About the relevance of accessibility barriers in the everyday interactions of older people with the web

Sayago

Blat

2009

Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibililty (W4A)

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“…Age-related changes in manual dexterity had a negative impact on web browsing with several input devices [38]. Small font sizes, confusing advertisements and the standard mouse were relevant barriers for nuns [64]. Scrolling, opening new windows in the browser, the small size of buttons and the short distance between navigation buttons were accessibility barriers for disabled and older users [27,34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ethnographical study of the accessibility barriers in the everyday interactions of older people with the web

Sayago

Blat

2011

Univ Access Inf Soc

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Older people experience many barriers when they access to the web. However, little is known about which barriers limit more (or less) their daily interactions. This paper presents some findings based on an ethnographical study of the everyday interactions of nearly 400 older people with the web over 3 years. Difficulties remembering steps, understanding terms and using the mouse are more severe than problems perceiving visual information, understanding icons and using the keyboard. This is largely explained by inclusion, independence and socialization, which are the three key components of reallife web use. This paper also shows that these aspects should be considered in other areas of web and ICT accessibility, as technophobia is not the only experience in the interactions of older people with the web, and both social relationships and life experiences beyond technologies need to be taken into account apart from age-related changes in abilities. These findings suggest that the current focus on compensating for age-related changes in functional abilities needs to be widened. Working towards making the web more accessible should not be divorced from real-life use. This paper discusses implications for web (and ICT) design, training and support.

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The analysis of aging and elderly age quality in empirical research: Data based on University of the Third Age (U3A) students

Zielińska-Więczkowska

Muszalik

Kędziora–Kornatowska

2012

Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics

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Senior users of the internet: lessons from the cybernun study

Cited by 6 publications

References 24 publications

About the relevance of accessibility barriers in the everyday interactions of older people with the web

About the relevance of accessibility barriers in the everyday interactions of older people with the web

An ethnographical study of the accessibility barriers in the everyday interactions of older people with the web

The analysis of aging and elderly age quality in empirical research: Data based on University of the Third Age (U3A) students

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