Background
Technology can benefit older adults in many ways, including by facilitating remote access to services, communication, and socialization for convenience or out of necessity when individuals are homebound. As people, especially older adults, self-quarantined and sheltered in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of usability-in-place became clear. To understand the remote use of technology in an ecologically valid manner, researchers and others must be able to test usability remotely.
Objective
Our objective was to review practical approaches for and findings about remote usability testing, particularly remote usability testing with older adults.
Methods
We performed a rapid review of the literature and reported on available methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and practical recommendations. This review also reported recommendations for usability testing with older adults from the literature.
Results
Critically, we identified a gap in the literature—a lack of remote usability testing methods, tools, and strategies for older adults, despite this population’s increased remote technology use and needs (eg, due to disability or technology experience). We summarized existing remote usability methods that were found in the literature as well as guidelines that are available for conducting in-person usability testing with older adults.
Conclusions
We call on the human factors research and practice community to address this gap to better support older adults and other homebound or mobility-restricted individuals.
Usability-In-Place—Remote Usability Testing Methods for Homebound Older Adults: Rapid Literature Review
