Development and Evaluation of Video Instructions for a Cross-generational AAL Tablet Application

Abstract

It is challenging to design a sufficiently complex user interface that is universally usable. Striking differences between younger and older users, based on age and cohort effects, demand suitable design compromises with an effective combination of user interface and instructional design. This paper describes such a design compromise with a focus on video instruction for an AAL application designed to maintain and expand cross-generational social support networks. To estimate its effectiveness, 30 younger (M = 26 years) and 31 older (M = 68 years) participants were split in two groups: Both solved the same 16 tasks with the same AAL application, yet the experimental group received a short video instruction before the tasks and the control group did not. Results show that both age groups rated the video instruction as useful and did benefit from it – older users’ effectiveness improved even to the level of younger users. It can be concluded that the effective combination of user interface and instructional design played a central role towards universal usability and that early integration of instructional design into the human centered design process improved its efficiency.