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Older Adults and Digital Technology: A Study of User Perception and Usage Behavior

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Advances in Physical Ergonomics and Human Factors

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 489))

Abstract

Nowadays, with aging society, there are an increasing number of older adults, who are current or potential users of digital technologies. However, how older adults perceive and use digital technologies does not receive sufficient research attentions. This study investigated older adults’ user perception and usage behavior of digital technologies in Hong Kong. A semi-structured interview was designed to understand their feelings and experience of daily digital technology use. The results found that older adults presented positive attitudes to the digital technology use but less self-efficacy of their own capabilities of learning these technologies. The majority of participants reported difficulties when using and learning digital technologies, especially navigation problems. Additionally, there is a tendency of using mobile computing devices instead of computers among older adults. By considering older adults’ special needs and limitations in future digital technology design, a better user experience could be assured.

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Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank the Research Grants Council for the UGC Funding Scheme from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Qingchuan Li & Yan Luximon

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  1. Qingchuan Li
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  2. Yan Luximon
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Correspondence to Yan Luximon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Ravindra Goonetilleke

  2. University of Central Florida , Orlando, Florida, USA

    Waldemar Karwowski

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Li, Q., Luximon, Y. (2016). Older Adults and Digital Technology: A Study of User Perception and Usage Behavior. In: Goonetilleke, R., Karwowski, W. (eds) Advances in Physical Ergonomics and Human Factors. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 489. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41694-6_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41694-6_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-41693-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-41694-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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