Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Canada's working demographic is changing with a rising working population of older adults; while the percentage of working adults aged 55-64 stood at 47% in 1996, it had risen to 66% by 2016 (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2018). This changing demographic presents a new challenge to Canadian society, as age-related factors such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) ranges from 13.4% to 42% in people older than 65 (Petersen et al., 2018). Advances in technology have enabled the development of new products for improving the wellbeing of older persons. However, older persons are known to have difficulties adopting new technologies, due to usability, confidence, and other factors (Lee and Coughlin, 2015). In the sociological literature, research by Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton (1981) found that as consumers get older, they acquire and display objects that remind them of their previous experiences. Thus, objects with familiar visual references are processed more fluently and are understood much better than objects with new visual references. I propose that designing technology products with familiar visual references can improve the adoption of these products among the elderly population in order to improve quality of life. Studies (such as Crilly et al., 2008) have shown that a gap exists between the aesthetic intent of designers when developing a product and the aesthetic experience of consumers when they use the product. The visual references employed by designers in creating the form and product interaction may not be understood by the consumer, which could affect the performance of the product in the marketplace. In my research, I develop product design methods for selecting and applying visual references in the design of products for the elderly. Drawing on literature in affective ergonomics, consumer behaviour, and design research, I utilize familiar visual references in products improve their processing fluency.