Improving Accessibility of Tactile Interaction for Older Users: Lowering Accuracy Requirements to Support Drag-and-Drop Interaction

Lilian Genaro Motti, Nadine Vigouroux, Philippe Gorce

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Mobile applications offer great possibilities to the aging population but older adults face accessibility problems when using devices equipped with touchscreen. In order to respond to older users' special needs, it is necessary to support older users during tactile interaction to reduce error rates. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the accuracy requirements for drag-and-drop interaction. 24 able-bodied older adults with different profiles (aged 65 to 86 years old, with corrected and not corrected eyesight, normal and low dexterity, different levels of education, different experience of use of computers and touchscreen) executed a series of tactile puzzle games on smartphone and tablet, with pen and fingers. We evaluate the number of errors for two levels of accuracy required for positioning the puzzle pieces: 95% (higher) and 80% (lower). Older adults made fewer errors of accuracy during lower accuracy levels and consequently fewer supplementary gestures for positioning the targets. Besides, lowering the accuracy requirement was an effective support for interaction because it also reduced the effects of users' profiles, improving the accessibility for people with no experience of use of computers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)366-375
Number of pages10
JournalProcedia Computer Science
Volume67
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes
Event6th International Conference on Software Development and Technologies for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion, 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany
Duration: 10 Jun 201512 Jun 2015

Keywords

  • accessibility
  • accuracy
  • drag-and-drop
  • elderly
  • errors
  • Touchscreen

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