The Effect of Multimodal Feedback Presented via a Touch Screen on the Performance of Older Adults

Abstract Although cognitive training in healthy older adults (OA) has been controversial, specific and isolated cognitive skills such as semantic memory can be improved with appropriate designs. Semantic memory has been considered as a clinical marker for cognitive decline in dementia. The current study, as part of a larger touch-screen dual-language intervention program with cognitive training tools, aims to slow down the rate of cognitive decline in OA with dementia (OwD). A set of neuropsychological tests was conducted before and after the training program. After 24 training sessions over 8-12 weeks, OwD (11 females, 1 male, mean=85.8yo) improved significantly in their verbal working memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test; RAVLT) while performance of the cognitive-healthy OA (5 females, 3 males, mean=76.3yo) remained the same post-intervention. Our findings suggest that touch-screen technology can help OwD improve their semantic memory. The strengths and limitations of our game design and intervention will be discussed. Part of a symposium sponsored by Technology and Aging Interest Group.

Download Full-text

Older Adults-Friendly Multi-Modal Touch-Screen Platform Measures for Bilingual Cognitive Interventions

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2972 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 816-816

Author(s):

W Quin Yow ◽

Tharshini Lokanathan ◽

Hui-Ching Chen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Older Adult ◽

Cognitive Training ◽

Touch Screen ◽

Cognitive Intervention ◽

Cognitive Interventions ◽

Multi Level ◽

Poor Comprehension ◽

Touch Screen Devices

Abstract There is an increasing interest in using touch-screen devices to conduct cognitive training and collect measurements of cognitive performance. However, older adults often have concerns such as anxiety about using these systems and poor comprehension of language instructions (Czaja & Lee, 2007). Given that Singapore is a multilingual society, we examined the deployment of an age-friendly multi-modal touch-screen platform (a game-based application on a tablet) in a cognitive intervention research. After modification of the platform to include features such as simplified instructions, multi-level prompts with a local accent, and four different instructional languages (including local dialects), participants were less reliant on the researchers and reported fewer difficulties in comprehending the instructions. The integrity and reliability of the data collected improved as a result. In sum, multilingual age-friendly touch-screen platform can be a novel yet effective method to study cognitive interventions in the Asian older adult populations.

Download Full-text

Toward achieving universal usability for older adults through multimodal feedback

ACM SIGCAPH Computers and the Physically Handicapped ◽

10.1145/960201.957214 ◽

2002 ◽

pp. 46-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

V. Kathlene Emery ◽

Paula J. Edwards ◽

Julie A. Jacko ◽

Kevin P. Moloney ◽

Leon Barnard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Multimodal Feedback ◽

Universal Usability

Download Full-text

Validation of the NANA (Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing) touch screen system for use at home by older adults

Experimental Gerontology ◽

10.1016/j.exger.2014.10.008 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 60 ◽

pp. 100-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

A.J. Astell ◽

F. Hwang ◽

L.J.E. Brown ◽

C. Timon ◽

L.M. Maclean ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Touch Screen ◽

Screen System ◽

At Home

Download Full-text

Encouraging Social Inclusion for Older Adults Through “Interest”-Led Technology Use

Mental Health Policy, Practice, and Service Accessibility in Contemporary Society - Advances in Human Services and Public Health ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7402-6.ch012 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 226-243

Author(s):

Jeanie Beh ◽

Bruno Mascitelli ◽

Sonja Pedell

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Technology Use ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Touch Screen ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Adoption Of Technology ◽

Use Of Technology

There are many misconceptions about older adults' capabilities and aspirations, and especially their attitudes and approach towards technology. They are often misunderstood and seen as uninterested and unmotivated to engage with use of technology. Due to an absence of an “interest” framework for older adults to learn mobile touch screen technologies, this chapter investigates the role that pre-existing interests play in older adults' adoption of technology. Can a curriculum guided only by pre-existing interests of older adults, rather than a structured curriculum have a positive influence on its adoption for mobile touch screen technologies? The results show that when older adults are taught according to requests based on their pre-existing interests, it encouraged long-term adoption of technology including building up their confidence in usage of mobile touch screen technologies.

Download Full-text

A Study of Interaction Devices and WWW User Interface Design for Older Adults

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120204600211 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 219-223

Author(s):

Pei-Luen Patrick Rau ◽

Jia-Wen Hsu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

User Interface ◽

User Interfaces ◽

Interface Design ◽

Touch Screen ◽

Direct Manipulation ◽

Voice Control ◽

Older Users ◽

Novice Users ◽

Searching Performance

This study investigates the effects of interaction devices on performance of using WWW user interface for older users, and ways to design appropriate user interfaces to enhance browsing and searching performance for older users. Two experiments were designed and conducted to test two hypotheses, that for older novice users, browsing and searching performance and attitudes will be better with a direct manipulation devices rather than with indirect manipulation device. The results indicated that older users using touch screen were faster and less frustrated than older users using voice control and mouse. Moverover, older users using touch screen were faster and less frustrated than older users using voice control and mouse, and older users using mouse and keyboard were less frustrated than older users using voice control

Download Full-text

A Touch Screen Button Size and Spacing Study with Older Adults

Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Addressing Diversity - Lecture Notes in Computer Science ◽

10.1007/978-3-642-02707-9_29 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 261-262

Author(s):

Maria LaVictoire ◽

Nick Everhart

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Touch Screen

Download Full-text

Keeping in Touch

Ergonomics in Design The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications ◽

10.1177/1064804615611271 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 18-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Victoria Lynne Claypoole ◽

Bradford L. Schroeder ◽

Ada D. Mishler

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

The Elderly ◽

Touch Screen ◽

Design Guidelines ◽

Relevant Research ◽

Touch Screens ◽

Touch Screen Devices

Dependence on touch-screen devices is becoming unavoidable as the technology grows in ubiquity in commonly used devices such as smartphones, tablets, and ATMs. Unfortunately, when designing these devices, too little attention is paid to a large and growing portion of the population: older adults. Because many older adults find touch screens to be highly appealing and useful, it is important to strengthen the focus on the older user. Toward that end, this article synthesizes the relevant research to provide design guidelines on touch screens for the elderly. The guidelines include such considerations as gestures, element sizes, complexity, and feedback.

Download Full-text