Challenges Encountered by Older Adults while Navigating Mobile Device User Interfaces

Abstract

Though mobile technology is one of the fastest growing technologies, usability challenges are still noted. Users mostly find difficulties and are weighed down using the technical devices and need to keep up with the sophisticated technology. The restricted screen space leads to a lot of information being hidden from sight and only little information to be displayed on the screen at a time. Navigation places high demands on working memory in order to remember the correct buttons to press to reach the wanted functionality. This increases memory load since users have to memorize the location of the application within the interface. Users may not understand the organization of the applications/services within the device interfaces; this makes it difficult to build a mental representation of the space they are navigating because users often do not know where they are, where they came from, or where they have to go next. The study sought to identify the challenges encountered by older adults while navigating mobile device interfaces. A survey of elderly people in Nairobi - Kenya was conducted and it was realized that 55.6% of older adults experienced age related limitations that included decline in vision ability, poor memory and limited hand movements. It was further found out that older adults face challenges with the miniaturization of mobile devices.