Bridging the generational digital gap through universal design and an inclusive approach
“You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.” Antoine de Saint- Exupery
A disclosure note: I am also a partner in Senior-Touch, a 3rd age expert house
Digital offerings for a netizens’ oriented world are primarily designed from a web based lifestyle that suits the Net generation, for whom the order of the day is apps, gadgets, tools and more revolutions.
The Net generation is confident, empowered, self-reliant, attuned to the digital culture of choices, sharing, visual signs, high speed, their connectivity and the way they process information is different, it’s natural, intuitive, flowing. It’s a generation that is eager for changes – to make changes and to dynamically adapt to changes as they come their way.
The older generations, the digital immigrants of various levels and ages are more hesitant, tend to stick to what they are familiar with and used to, their web lifestyle stems from the level of adoption of communication platforms and tools that suit their lifestyle. They use cell phones but get lost with smart phones, use email but in the social media scene appear as rigid elephants on a swinging dancing floor.
The digital embarrassment line does not divide just between old and young. There’s even a micro generations’ gap where 3-4 years apart age wise create a totally different technological experience. 19 years old seem outdated to 16 years old, at the age of 20 the ability to digitally multitask is much smaller than at the age of 15. A research note written by a 15 years old on his generations’ media consumption caused a stir in the market, a thought provoking insight on what works and doesn’t work for teen agers’ digital interactions as it proved contrary to what adult experts assume – how they use their computers for music, Twitter is not hot, online ads don’t work, TV is hardly an option, they watch TV only on demand and mostly via the web
Apple unveils the ipad – the best way to experience the web , they say. A big stir all over. Digital ink is spilt over the good and bad of the ipad, the revolution to come, the flops, the technology challenges, lack of Flash, USB, memory limitations….. all the geeks, experts and intuitive users dance the waggle dance. All for Netizens.
Ethan Nicholas, a guest writer in Techcrunch – made a completely different point.
Why my Mom’s next computer is going to be an ipad. He says:
The iPad is a computer for people who don’t like computers. People who don’t like the idea of upgrading their 3D drivers, or adjusting their screen resolution, or installing new memory. Who don’t understand why their computer gets slower and slower the longer they own it, who have 25 icons in their system tray and have to wait ten minutes for their system to boot up every day.
For what most of these people need a computer for, the iPad is perfect. It doesn’t do as many things as a “real” computer does, but the things it does do it does in a way even non-tech-savvy people can figure out, and there are far fewer ways to screw it up. So if you have managed to convince yourself that the iPad is a useless, locked-up DRM-laden failure of a ‘computer’ before even touching one, I have two words for you:
My mom
My mother is a lovely lady in her sixties who is… well, “not computer savvy” is probably a good way to put it. I regularly have to figure out why her computer is running incredibly slowly, or why it won’t print, or any of the million other random things that happen when people who don’t live and breathe computers sit down at one daily.
The iPad is perfect for her. It does exactly what she needs. It will let her watch movies and listen to music and read books on long flights. It will make using a computer fun instead of an annoying chore……
And you know what? There are millions upon millions of people just like her out there. They outnumber us. And they finally have a chance to become productive, self-sufficient computer users instead of constantly asking family members to fix their computers or, even worse, keeping the Geek Squad in business.
No, the iPad isn’t for everyone. But I’m going to go on record as saying that, for non-computer-geeks everywhere, the iPad is going to redefine computing.
Exactly. It is this capturing of a universal user experience that will make the ipad a digital savior. It will transform the experience in means more intuitive and familiar, as a universal design product, sexy for all- so people at all age and usability sophistication level feel included – part of the global digital town square. The ipad provides a “black box with a very lively façade” older people will not be intimidated by it as a computer, touch will facilitate familiarization and accommodate declining finger dexrticity.
Digital literacy and digital proficiency are not to be taken for granted. We live in an age where for the first time in history there will be more old people than young. Life longevity brings with it mature life style needs and styles and an urge to remain part of the global society.
A web that is for all should be made of offerings that weave humanity into user designs of the services, tools, apps and gadgets that empower the dynamic digital lifestyle. An inclusive design should compassionately consider the capabilities and contingencies of those not so savvy, without patronizing them in an attitude of “for the XXX challenged”.
A user friendly product, service, application or GUI that is nice to have to a Net Gen savvy, is a must have to people who are immigrants into the digital world and for whom it would never be intuitive. It is an age of customization, personalization, usability and features’ adaptation – but not everybody can do it.
Older people are technophobes. It excludes them from digital advances. They tend to give up on offerings with which they feel uncomfortable, and many times refrain from using technologies, where accessibility and usability are not usually adapted to their perceptual, motor and cognitive pace of reaction.
Their desire for a total user experience is shadowed by the fear of not being able to properly apply the necessary skills or not be able to interact with the application in a timely manner. They would rather give up on the potential, in order not to feel inferior.
There’s a psychological catch as well. Whereas all through history the skills, knowledge and authority were transferred from the old to the young, in the digital world many times even young children master skills that older people can hardly relate to, if at all.
Digital literacy means new capabilities, a language of the information world that youngsters speak fluently. Services that to them are natural, communication platforms, instant messaging, e-commerce, consulting e-maps, sophisticated search, locations, peers, scheduling and much more, are totally unfamiliar to a population that can make good use of the quality of life enhancing capabilities that new technologies bring.
A whole new universal and inclusive user friendly approach to self-activation and interaction with digital devices and services is called for. One that will facilitate, simplify and connects us all under the umbrella of a web of life that suits each of us personally.
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Ron Nabarro
