Abstract
This paper discusses empirical research into the familiarity of older and younger adults with contemporary electronic devices. Prior research into the field of intuitive interaction is examined, and the links between experience, familiarity and intuitive interaction are highlighted. An experiment is presented which investigated the differences in familiarity between older and younger adults. Overall the results suggest a negative relationship between age and familiarity, but exceptions to the rule are also demonstrated. This shows that age is not a determinant of familiarity, but it is often associated with a lower level of familiarity. This research also shows that older adults show verbal cues for familiarity far less frequently than younger adults, yet still display familiarity during task execution. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Keywords
Intuitive Interaction, Older Adults, Familiarity, Prior Experience, Industrial Design, Interaction Design.
Citation
Lawry, S., Popovic, V., and Blackler, A. (2010) Identifying Familiarity in Older and Younger Adults, in Durling, D., Bousbaci, R., Chen, L, Gauthier, P., Poldma, T., Roworth-Stokes, S. and Stolterman, E (eds.), Design and Complexity - DRS International Conference 2010, 7-9 July, Montreal, Canada. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2010/researchpapers/70
Identifying Familiarity in Older and Younger Adults
This paper discusses empirical research into the familiarity of older and younger adults with contemporary electronic devices. Prior research into the field of intuitive interaction is examined, and the links between experience, familiarity and intuitive interaction are highlighted. An experiment is presented which investigated the differences in familiarity between older and younger adults. Overall the results suggest a negative relationship between age and familiarity, but exceptions to the rule are also demonstrated. This shows that age is not a determinant of familiarity, but it is often associated with a lower level of familiarity. This research also shows that older adults show verbal cues for familiarity far less frequently than younger adults, yet still display familiarity during task execution. The implications of these findings are discussed.