Usability, Durability, Error-Proofing: How to Make an Elderly-Friendly Smart Home
Guest WriterGuest Writer
According to an estimate by The United States Census Bureau, about 49 million US citizens are over 65 years old — that's 15.2% of the population. We have found that older people are embracing digital technologies, but sometimes they encounter specific difficulties with appliances or interfaces. How can the IoT help older women and men, whilst being easy to use?
Gadgets help prolong independent living for people with health impairments, such as hearing or coordination problems, who don’t yet need 24-hour care. They also help monitor health indicators and provide security for older people. Â
The first is economical: the number of users in this category is growing. According to research by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, by 2050 the number of people over 65 in the USA is set to reach 88 million, constituting 22.1% of the population.
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) projects that by 2020 about 12 million elderly people will need long-term care.
There are many families who can't afford professional care for their elderly relatives. The Urban Institute estimates that the cost of service and support for people over 65 is about $140,000.
A smart home can replace a nurse and buy some time before having to resort to a senior care home or a clinic. Gadgets can remind elderly people to take their medication, monitor their health and respond to emergencies. They reduce the need for medical services up to the point when health indicators display an abnormality. Â
The second reason is social: interfaces developed for older people are also appreciated by the majority of younger users. This is explored by Jeff Johnson and Kate Finn, the authors of 'Designing User Interfaces for an Aging Population.'
Many people of different ages may have vision, hearing, mobility or memory problems. There are also people with low literacy or technical skills. Accounting for the specific needs of the elderly in the development of the IoT can help improve user experience for other groups of people as well.
A study by Jeff Johnson and Kate Finn showed that older people spend more time learning how to use devices and apps, have problems remembering information and hitting targets on the screen, and make more chaotic movements.
The devices and applications in a smart home should account for all these particular challenges.
A system tailored to the elderly’s needs should have voice control.
Interface elements, such as links, menus and buttons, should be easily distinguishable from the text and graphics. Clickable elements should be significantly different in color.
A finger is much larger than a cursor. To ensure that the hit accuracy is above 90%, the active elements on the touch screen should be at least 1.65 cm diagonally.
All abnormalities on the graphs and all warning signals should be highlighted in bright colors, preferably red since it's commonly associated with danger.
It’s best to produce devices in different shapes and designs, so that older users can choose the ones that they like and that match their lifestyle.
A smart home test group should include older people and a range of people with different health problems, such as low mobility or mild dementia. With their comments and concerns in mind, the devices and apps can be made convenient and easy to use for any user. That’s the ideal to strive for.
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