Web access for elderly citizens

ABSTRACT

With elderly citizens becoming an increasingly large proportion of the population in many countries, social as well as economic considerations suggest that they must be considered in the development of current and future technologies. This paper addresses issues of Internet access, and discusses a research project designed to make the web more usable by elderly citizens. This project uses a proxy server to transcode web pages according to user-specified preferences and capabilities. Users access web pages as usual, with no specialized hardware required.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.4 COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
      K.4.2 Social Issues
          Subjects: Assistive technologies for persons with disabilities

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Evaluation/methodology; Graphical user interfaces (GUI); Input devices and strategies (e.g., mouse, touchscreen); User-centered design; Interaction styles (e.g., commands, menus, forms, direct manipulation)
      H.5.3 Group and Organization Interfaces
          Subjects: Web-based interaction
          Nouns: WEB

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Performance

Keywords:
aging, disabilities, internet, seniors, transcoding