Intuitive learnability of touch gestures for technology-naïve older adults
Article
Mihajlov, M., Lai-Chong Law, E. and Springett, M. 2015. Intuitive learnability of touch gestures for technology-naïve older adults. Interacting with Computers. 27 (3), pp. 344-356. https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwu044
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | Intuitive learnability of touch gestures for technology-naïve older adults |
Authors | Mihajlov, M., Lai-Chong Law, E. and Springett, M. |
Abstract | Touch-based interactions, if intuitive and natural, should be highly learnable. However, the learnability of touch gestures as a computer interaction modality cannot be taken for granted and should be evaluated empirically. This is especially true when technology-naïve older adults are concerned, given the psychological and physical constraints associated with this age range. To investigate this issue, we conducted a study with 17 technology-naïve older adults, whose experience with technology was mostly limited to making calls with mobile phones. Specifically, the participants were presented with three simple digital games on an interactive tabletop surface and asked to play the games on their own with minimal instruction or help. The first two games required the use of a drag gesture whereas the third game required the use of a rotate gesture. The main research question was whether the older adults could learn the gestures effectively and efficiently. A set of variables such as task duration and gesture accuracy were measured. Results showed that the learnability of a drag gesture was relatively high and that the participants could transfer this skill across the games. In contrast, the learnability of a rotate gesture was low and most of the participants failed to demonstrate any improvement over the tasks of the game. These findings partially corroborate those of earlier work. Implications for future work are drawn, especially exploring the potential of social interactions between older adults for enhancing the learning effects. |
Keywords | intuitive interaction learnability gestural input touch-screen interactive surface senior users |
Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) |
Journal | Interacting with Computers |
ISSN | 0953-5438 |
Electronic | 1873-7951 |
Publication dates | |
Online | 12 Dec 2014 |
01 May 2015 | |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 18 Feb 2015 |
Accepted | 12 Nov 2014 |
Output status | Published |
Publisher's version | File Access Level Open |
Copyright Statement | © The Author 2014 |
Additional information | Special Issue: Intuitive Interaction |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwu044 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/84yz2
Download files
64
total views20
total downloads4
views this month1
downloads this month