Respect for users

1. Respect for users

2. Empathy and a Good Interface • You’ll design a better interface if you respect your users • Acknowledge their limitations • But also acknowledge their strengths and their motivations • ‘I put this in because my users are stupid’ is not a good way to proceed

3. Ageing • At age 49… • Unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, obesity and lack of exercise) will begin catching up in serious ways, notably risk of heart attack and stroke (particularly in males… most common first sign is sudden death) and type II diabetes • Farsightedness (hyperopia), a problem focusing on nearby small objects (like small font text), can manifest from around age 40 as the eye’s focusing ability diminishes • See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elderly (including link to ageism) and note that ‘elderly’ or ‘old’ generally is considered to begin around 65 in Western societies • Note that Western life expectancies are around 80 (a little more for females)

4. Ageing • Severe loss of mental faculties,dementia does not always occur,and usually has its onset in 80s or 90s • Space Invaders was released in 1978 • So today’s 49-year-olds were about 21 when it hit the shopping mall arcades in major centers and certainly had a good chance of doing some video game playing, but perhaps a bit less than those under 45 • Except in rare circumstances, 49-year-olds will have no difference in computer use or cognition generally, esp. if they work in an office • Even users in their 80’s, in the absence of dementia or, say, chronic pain or other possible impairments (stroke for mouse use; loss of vision) can perform pretty well normally • Of course there are exposure and practicedifferences for those who ‘grew up with’particular technologies • But remember, there is a ‘digital divide’more based on resources than age

5. The world has been interesting for a little while now • In 1969, today’s 49-year-olds were around 11… a little too young to join in!

6. Type II Diabetes • Affecting increasingly young people… • Can be brought on even in childhood with a diet of ‘energy dense’ foods • So chronic disease management and lifestyle support is for mainstream computer users as much as (or even moreimportantly than) for theageing population • Diabetes causes organdamage and increasesrisk of heart attack andstroke (but it doesn’t causecolor-blindness!)

7. Who’s 49ish? Madonna - 48 Samuel L Jackson - 57 Oprah - 53 Tell them they’re too old to use a computer! Bill Gates - 51

8. So how about Pat? • Works part-time at a marketing firm • Probably an MS Office / Outlook email user • Most likely has some education beyond basic schooling, and has white-collar workplace experience • Has a husband and three kids (and the part-time job) • Experienced at time management, and probably at household paperwork; also knows something about cooking (and parenting) • Does Internet banking • Trusts the Internet (and obviously does some of the home finance work) • Is motivated to improve her health and willing to try a technology solution • So why did so many of you write her off as ‘barely computer literate’ or worse? • Nonetheless afraid she’d be confused by bright colors!!!

9. Avoid ‘isms’ • Look out for ageism, sexism and racism in yourself • If you let a 49-year-old overweight woman know you think they’re ‘elderly’ either: • They’ll use their undiminished cognition and superior experience to hold you back (if not crush you) • Or, your youth oriented colleagues will support you in perpetrating discrimination on them • Take your pick! Neither is good. So update your views. • Incidentally (so as not to be ageist on the young)… some of you had quite sensitive and positive views of Pat • Design from a sense of understanding and respect