Back to the future: Who cares
about the NetGen if mobile
technology can help the Matures?
mLearn Conference 2011
Beijing
CJ van Staden
Liza Kriek
Tony Tin
Presentation layout
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Introduction
Research questions
Who is the mature generation?
Mobile Technology
Research methodology
Research findings
Conclusion
Introduction
 The aim of the research was to determine the needs
of elderly people
 How these needs could be addressed thru mobile
technology
 Identify short comings and challenges
 Modules used to determine behaviour of young
adults cannot be generalised without further
investigation to elderly people (Wilkowska & Ziefle,
2009 &Goodman et al., 2003)
 The life cycle of mobile phone technology is not well
understood by elderly people (Carrol et al., 2003)
Introduction
 Many elderly people do not use their mobile phone to its
fullest potential or they even reject it (Abascal and Civit,
2000)
 Rejection of mobile technology is often the result of low
quality interface design or the people lack training and
experience
 Guidelines to include the mature generation in the
development of technologies is needed(Eisma et al, 2003)
 Bad designs handicap all users not just disabled (Thimbleby,
1995)
Introduction
 A growing need to support elderly people in imaginative and
innovative ways –
design,
development and
use of mobile technology applications
 Goodman et al. (2003) conclude that generally available
designs and guidelines, often based on studies of younger
users, may well not be transferable to applications intended
for elderly people
Research Questions
To what extent do elderly people in South
Africa perceive mobile technology as useful?
To what extent can the research recommend
innovative ways of designing and
developing mobile technology devices that
are able to fulfil the needs of elderly people
in a South African context?
Who is the mature generation?
 Mature Generation is defined by birth dates between
1925 and 1945 – age 66 -86
 The Baby Boomers generation is defined by birth dates
between 1946 and 1964 – age 47 and 65
 The NetGen generation with birth dates between 1982
and 1991 – age 20 to 29 (Oblinger, D.G. & Oblinger,
2005)
 The researchers used age group including people of
ages 52 and over because they will be the next
generation of “younger” seniors to use the newly
designed improved mobile technology
Mobile Technology
 The usefulness of common mobile technology, such
as mobile phones, handheld computers and digital
cameras, stems from their accessibility and
portability allowing user access to technologies
while on the move (Goodman et al., 2003)
 The advancement, availability and connectivity of
technology all contribute to an increase of its scope
and potential
 The penetration of mobile technologies within the
population of South Africa is estimated at 83%
(Integrat, 2008)
Mobile Technology
 Mobile technology is ideal for providing support in
a variety of mobile activities and for a variety of
people
 Activities include mobile learning possibilities,
gaining information about news items, family
matters, social matters, transport, holiday trips,
medication - and in general improve “anytime,
anywhere” communication
Mobile Technology
Needs and expectations between disabled and
generic users are similar in that each group expects
the following from mobile communication services:
Fully reliable communication
Improved service
Safety and quality of life (Abascal & Civit, 2000)
Barriers hat some elderly people might experience:
Ergonomic limitations of the handsets
Certain sectors of the population are not able to use
systems normally designed for all
Mobile Technology
Products, applications and services should be
designed in such a way that they are open to possible
adaptations for specific users’ needs
A further area that needs attention is the learning
mechanism (principles) that exist in elderly people
Research pointed out some of the needs that were
identified through the data collection and analysis
Research Methodology
Research aim:
To establish the extent to which elderly people in South
Africa perceive mobile technology as useful
To what extent the research can recommend innovative
ways of designing and developing mobile technology
devices that will fulfil the needs of elderly people in a
South African context
Sampling:
The research design is mainly qualitative and involves a
study with 41 participants aged 52 to 88
The sample group included elderly people from old age
homes, retirement villages, and some are still working
Research Methodology
Data collection – a questionnaire was used to collect
information regarding the participant’s:
general information,
needs,
interests,
whether he/she owns a phone,
the purpose of the phone,
whether the participant uses the internet and for
what reasons and
the perceived usefulness of mobile phones and the
internet.
Research Methodology
Type of questions used
Open-ended,
guided questions
Collected data was then captured in a database
which was used to derive conclusions
Data analysis:
quantitative and qualitative analysis was used
Complete anonymity has been ensured – neither
the participants nor the field workers can be
identified in the reports
Research Methodology
The analysis was guided by:
creating the context of the elderly people
investigated;
deriving information about the current adoption
and usage of mobile technologies;
attempting to understand the target group’s
needs and interests and
finally, by analysing their perceived usefulness of
mobile technology
Research Findings
 The youngest respondent’s age was 52 and the eldest
88.
The average age was 70
85% of the participants own mobile phones
70% of those who own phones – own a Nokia
Reasons why elderly do not own a phone:
Tone deaf at certain levels, have one on loan from a
daughter, used only in travelling
Not interested, have a land line
Use husband’s mobile phone or visa versa
No interest
Research Findings
50% of those who do not own a mobile phone, said
they think it would be easy to use one
while 79% of those who own a mobile phone find it
easy to use – adapting to technology
46% have access to internet
27% do not have access to internet – would like
access
Reasons why people do not have internet:
No computer
No interest or no need for internet
Research Findings
Use
Percentage
Emergencies
18%
Calls
79%
sms
27%
Internet
9%
Banking
3%
MMS
3%
Diary
3%
Meetings
3%
Mapping
3%
Photos
3%
Videos
3%
Research Findings
People who are using internet us it for:
Social:
Entertainment, skype, ccommunicating with
friends far away, Facebook,
Information:
travel planning, reservations, research
Business:
email, business matters, bookkeeping, internet
banking,
Hobbies:
Sport, work, news, videos, chat games
Research Findings
People who are NOT using internet want to us it for:
Information:
General, historical, vacations, research
Interest:
health, medication, sport
Hobbies:
Flags, general knowledge
Research Findings
Do you find it easy to use the internet?
I still struggle to remember where to go and what to do
but I am still learning
Yes, when taught how to use it
Percentage
Yes
85%
No
5%
Movies
Average
Percentage
48.8%
Nature
5%
5%
Music
Average
Percentage
51.25%
37.8%
Cooking
23.2%
News
78.05%
Travel
41.45%
Sport
54.85%
Anything
19.5%
Stories
31.7%
Interests
Interests
Research Findings
To what extent do elderly people in South Africa perceive mobile technology as
useful?
According to the researchers’ results, elderly mobile technology users are divided into
15% who do not own a mobile phone versus the 85% who do.
Half of the elderly people who do not own a mobile phone perceive it to be useful,
while the remainder do not.
At least 79% of the elderly people who own a phone find it easy to use.
The majority of elderly people use their mobile phones only for calls, sms messages
and emergencies.
According to the researchers’ results, 46% of elderly people access the internet and
find it very useful for a number of reasons as listed above.
Some of the remaining 54% who do not have internet express a number of needs and
interests they would like to access should they have internet. Some of the reasons for
not having access include affordability, no computers, no need or no interest.
Research Findings
To what extent can the research recommend innovative ways of designing and
developing mobile technology devices that are able to fulfil the needs of elderly people
in a South African context?
According to the researchers’ results it is recommended that when designing and
developing mobile technology applications, attention should be paid
•Enlarging the size of the screens and visibility of content, given the fact that 34% (14
participants) experience eyesight problems;
•Improving the decibel frequency of sound as 20% of the participants experience
hearing problems;
•Designing GPS applications for mobile technology to accommodate eyesight,
memory and hearing problems. A large percentage of the participants (88%) own a
car and 90% are still fit to drive – they are therefore able to travel around and might
find such applications useful;
•Developing mobile technologies for elderly people which should focus on expressed
Research Findings
Based on our results the researchers therefore conclude that although elderly
people in South Africa have adopted mobile technology, they have not explored the
full capacity and capabilities of this technology.
Therefore more attention needs to be paid to raise awareness among elderly
people to adopt mobile technology more fully.
There is a need for mobile technology devices to be designed for elderly people,
which will be useful and which they will be able to be use
Conclusion
The researchers explored the needs of elderly people in South Africa and their use of
mobile phone technology in an attempt to better understand this user group’s
perceptions towards technology.
It has been established that there is a need for access to more information by the
elderly through the use of technology given the fact that they are still mobile and
need the information when travelling. Mobile technology might be more accessible
than the stationary type of technologies such as personal computers. It might also
improve the autonomy and self-confidence of elderly people.
Our findings suggest a correlation between the variables of age and whether these
participants own a phone; however, the possible correlation between how the phone
is used and their needs is interesting and indicates a need for further research. A
similar study is being conducted in Canada so the researchers will be able - at a later
stage - to compare the findings of this paper with studies based on elderly users
outside South Africa. Mobile technology can improve the quality of life for elderly
people, but only if the design, interface and development of such devices are
perceived and experienced by elderly people as useful and usable
Canadian
Seniors and E-Readers
•
Canadian seniors (aged 55+) were
provided with an Amazon Kindle
for 4-weeks, a book of THEIR
choice, a newspaper subscription,
and a training session.
•
Ongoing technical support was
provided for the length of this
project (by e-mail, phone or in
person)
•
56 responses in total for the final
questionnaire session (so far)
•
55/56 had never read an e-book
before
Testing Group
68% had never used a mobile device
in the past (including: smart phone,
iPad, iPhone, iPod, Blackberry)
61% usually access their internet at home
16% access at both home and work,
9% do not access the internet
Increase Access?
•
•
73% either Agree or Strongly Agree that
E-readers will increase access to reading
materials.
Sample comments
– “Ideal for someone with restricted
mobility/ access to other resources”
– “With living in a small town, it's
difficult to get to a book store on a
regular basis, and when ordering
online, it takes time before you
receive the book. However, with an
e-reader you have immediate access
to books or other reading materials.”
– “Great for anyone who needs to have
a number of books readily accessible,
e.g. Students. The social network
functions may be interesting, e.g.
comparing comments on books read,
etc.”
General Comments
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•
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Positives
“Increased font size, very
useful”
Small, light, portable
Auto-bookmarking (“my
bookmarks always fall out
of my paperbacks”)
Good for travel
“I like not getting ink from
newspapers on my fingers”
“Easy on my eyes”
“Loved the Search function”
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Concerns
Screen did not light up
Page numbers? “I don’t like
seeing a percentage, I want
to know the number of
pages in my book!”
“I missed holding a book”
“I wanted to flip pages”
Colour pictures?
“black on black buttons, I
couldn’t see what to push”
“I was scared to use it, I
didn’t want to break it!”