Investigating the relationships between user capabilities and product demands for older and disabled users

Authors:
Umesh Persad;Patrick Langdon;P. John Clarkson
Affiliations:
Product Design and Interaction Lab, Centre for Production Systems, The University of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies;Cambridge Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom;Cambridge Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Venue:
UAHCI'11 Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Universal access in human-computer interaction: design for all and eInclusion - Volume Part I
Year:
2011

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study that specifically looks at the relationships between measured user capabilities and product demands in a sample of older and disabled users. An empirical study was conducted with 19 users performing tasks with four consumer products (a clock-radio, a mobile phone, a blender and a vacuum cleaner). The sensory, cognitive and motor capabilities of each user were measured using objective capability tests. The study yielded a rich dataset comprising capability measures, product demands, outcome measures (task times and errors), and subjective ratings of difficulty. Scatter plots were produced showing quantified product demands on user capabilities, together with subjective ratings of difficulty. The results are analysed in terms of the strength of correlations observed taking into account the limitations of the study sample. Directions for future research are also outlined.