Guideline:
Support user in reducing clutter.
Guideline Description:
The use of large interface elements and reducing distraction of the current focus helps in reducing clutter.
Example:
A pair of elderly users using an interface with large elements.
Illustration adapted from Tabletop Sharing of Digital Photographs for the Elderly
Source:
Tabletop Sharing of Digital Photographs for the Elderly,2006
Tags:
Accessibility, Adaptability, Elderly, Large-Elements, Learnability, Multi-touch, Testing.
Guideline:
Focus on learnability and memorability.
Guideline Description:
An interface should be focused in learnability and memorability. The use of this concepts helps older users in the manipulation of interface, because they have difficulty in learning new concepts and also some declining in their short-term memory. So the use of familiar activities of the older adults (e.g. photos manipulation, board games, etc.) and the minimization of number of interfaces elements ( i.e. simplicity) are some ways to achieve this goal.
Example:
This example illustrates an application for manipulating photos, a familiar task of the older adults.
Illustration adapted from Tabletop Sharing of Digital Photographs for the Elderly
Source:
Tabletop Sharing of Digital Photographs for the Elderly, 2006
Tags:
Accessibility, Elderly, Learnability, Memory.
Guideline:
Animations alone are not effective in signaling synchronous and asynchronous events on the interfaces and should be accompanied by redundant information in other modalities.
Guideline Description:
Animations can be used in the interface to informing the user in perceiving and understanding both system’s responses, synchronous events (e.g. the automatic storing of a copy of a sent postcard in the drawer) and asynchronous events (e.g., the reception of a post card) in the case of an application to send and receive post-cards. The animations alone used are not enough to transmit system status to users and additional complementary information is needed.
Example:
Mobitable is a system to send and receive post-cards. In this system it has been verified that the use of animations alone is not enough to transmit to user the system status.
Illustration adapted from An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly
Source:
An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly,2010
Tags:
Accessibility, Animation, Elderly, User experience.
Guideline:
Due to large variability in touch performance by elderly people (due to age, health-related issue, etc.) the setting of the time parameters of gestures is of paramount importance, to promote a better adaptation.
Guideline Description:
The setting of the time parameters of gestures is a crutial feature, in order to promote a better adaptability of the interface, due to a large variability in touch performance by elderly people (due to age, health-related issue, etc.).
Example:
This example illustrates the setting of time response of the gestures.
Source:
An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly,2010
Tags:
Accessibility, Adaptability, Elderly, Gestures, Interaction, Multi-touch, Time, User Experience
Guideline:
Iconic gestures are very engaging.
Guideline Description:
An iconic gesture is a gesture that visually and analogically represents its meaning; these gestures have a hedonic quality that are enjoyed by older users. Example: ‘X’ gesture , ‘L’ gesture.
Example:
“X” gesture and “L” gesture are examples of iconic gestures.
Source:
An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly,2010
Tags:
Accessibility, Elderly, Gestures, Interaction, Multi-touch
Guideline:
In drag gestures, the “natural” version should be implemented: the object should stay where it has been left rather than flying back to its initial position.
Guideline Description:
In the use of drag gesture in the manipulation of an interface, the “natural” version of this gesture should be implemented, i.e. when the contact is lost during a drag the object should stay where it has been left, does not coming back to its initial position.
Example:
In this example if the object is dropped during the drag gesture the object does not comes back
to initial position, staying where it has been left.
Source:
An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly,2010
Tags:
Accessibility, Elderly, Gestures, Interaction, Multi-touch
Guideline:
Do not overload the same object with actions performed by a tap and by a drag gesture.
Guideline Description:
The same object should not be overlapping with actions performed by a tap and by a drag gesture. In case of insufficient pressure or of false starts these two gestures may be easily confused.
Example:
Example of an object with overload of tap gesture and drag gesture.
Source:
An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly,2010
Tags:
Accessibility, Content, Elderly, Gestures, Interaction, Layout, Multi-touch, Overlap
Guideline:
Tapping on the background outside of an object should be avoided.
Guideline Description:
Tapping on background outside of an object can perform other actions. For this reason the use of tap gesture outside of an object should be avoid.
Example:
In this example, tapping outside (on the background) puts the postcard into an envelope before sending it.
Illustration adapted from An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly
Source:
An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly,2010
Tags:
Content, Elderly, Gestures, Interaction, Layout, Multi-touch.
Guideline:
Tap gestures (when applied to well recognized objects) are the easiest ones to understand and remember.
Guideline Description:
The tap gesture is considered a simple gesture for performing in the multi-touch interaction. This gesture is easy to understanding and remembering in the future interactions.
Example:
An example of tap gesture use in a multi-touch interface.
Source:
An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly,2010
Tags:
Easiness, Elderly, Gestures, Interaction, Intuitive, Learnability, Remembering, Understanding , Multi-touch.
Design Guidelines of Multi-touch Interfaces for Elders 