Using an Error Detection Strategy for Improving Web Accessibility for Older Adults

Abstract

The ability to use the Internet can provide an important contribution to an older adult's quality of life. Communication via email with family, friends and service providers has become a critical factor for improving ones ability to cope with modern society as individual's age. The problem is that as users age, natural physical and cognitive impairments make it more difficult for them to use the required technology. The present study investigates the use of error detection as a means of improving web access amongst older adults. Specifically, error detection strategies are compared to observation as a means of identifying the impairments of Internet users.

Computer detection of spatial visualization in a location-based task

“…There are documented efforts to create adaptive applications to furnish personalized aid based on user interactions alone. Taylor, Sr., et al (2009) were able to automatically modify the appearance of a web page presented to older adults in order to minimize errors on a web use task. The adaptation was triggered by interaction errors: mouse-click errors, scrolling errors, and content access errors.…”

Improving web accessibility for older adults based on error detection strategies

“…More interestingly, Table 5.12 shows a very high correlation (.963), with 0.0 significance for the two samples. A review of this result has been published in Taylor, Miller, Nilakanta, Sander, et al (2009).…”

Adaptive interfaces for application defragmentation in diverse operating contexts

“…Other than that, adaptation algorithms fall into recency-based algorithm, where the 'n' most recently used commands are promoted by the adaptive interface or the frequency-based algorithm where the most frequently used commands are captured over a short window of interactions [13]. Another novel approach that has been previously researched is error-based adaptation by Miller [17,1]. This approach [17] uses vision and motor errors as feedback for generating the adaptive interface.…”

“…It is highly useful in field applications due to the vulnerability of poor external conditions, such as bad weather. In the other research [1] done by Miller et al they have explored design issues associated with web applications for the elderly and have proposed an error detection based approach. The study revealed that error-based profiling of the users performed statistically as well as observation-based profiling.…”