Meeting the Needs of Diverse User Groups: Benefits and Costs of Pluggable User Interfaces in Designing for Older People and People with Cognitive Impairments

Background On Hci And Aged Users

There is a growing interest for designing and developing human-computer interfaces that fit the needs of the aged users. The interface's specific characteristics have to conform to the performance of older users. Design considerations include variations of the visual, auditory, cognitive and motor functions associated with the process of aging, but other considerations such as emotional, health and social aspects have to be taken into account as well.

It has been found that, related to aging, a decrease of human functions takes place. This includes a reduction of visual function, of sensibility to contrast, changes in the abilities to hear, smell and taste, as well as a decrease of the muscular mass (Witte,1998). These aspects should be considered when designing user interfaces for the aged population, making deliberate decisions on the use of icons and graphics, text, font type and size, use of colors and screen titles, and audio feedback. In cognitive terms, some functions stay stable in the normal process of aging, such as automatic and well-learned responses, remote and semantic memory, and verbal reasoning and comprehension. In contrast, other cognitive functions decline, such as the information processing speed and the working memory. For older users interacting with computers, their cognitive abilities and disabilities can have more impact than sensory aspects. Therefore, the cognitive profile of older users is of crucial importance in the design of user interfaces.