at least 150 words in a two paragraphs Aging users are a growing proportion of c

Question

at least 150 words in a two paragraphs

Aging users are a growing proportion of computer users, and some developers of word processors see an opportunity to provide a special version for these users. Critics think that the current Word 7.0 in Windows is adequate for these users and the costs of a special version are not warranted. They have come to you to help design and test a special version for elderly users.

a. Give three possible design changes you would make for elderly users and justify them.

b. Choose one of these design changes for empirical evaluation and determine if these changes bring greater benefits for elderly as compared with benefits for other users. Describe in detail an experiment you would conduct if you had substantial resources and sufficient time. Describe the hypothesis, independent and dependent variables, how to select and assign subjects, number of subjects, training, main and interaction effects, and statistics you would use. Draw graphs or bar charts of the result you expect.

Explanation / Answer

The design changes required for elderly users are given below:

Among these changes the most important are:

b)

The design change which is chosen for empirical evaluation is Improve the contrast between characters and screen background.

Training techniques to learn word processing program should be implemented. Training strategies like instructor-based, manual-based, and on-line should be implemented.

One approach known as the goal oriented approach based on active discovery approach proved to be an effective training strategy for older adults. The approach adopted in this program was to move slowly from simple steps to more complex steps like opening a file, saving a file to moving text (animations).

Instructional materials should be designed in simple language and efficient way which is quite easy to understand and highlighting text might be an added advantage to older people. In fact these types of changes are also beneficial to all users.

The trails conducted for computer users ranging in age from 20 to 75 using self-phased training program. The results show that the older people are slower to complete the training program. The investigation showed that there is no need to design special training programs for older people. The survey showed that more number of the older people reported difficulty in reading the screen.

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