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| Trackball from gizmodo.com |
For older adults who are not comfortable with the computer itself can be shown how to adapt the different components to make it work for them. The computer is meant to work for the user and they should not be afraid to make changes. Some find the angle of the screen and position of the keyboard awkward and uncomfortable. Monitors can be adjusted to whatever angle and position work best. The keyboard is limited in the way it can be altered, but keyboards can be easily be switched out (Smith, 2012).
Additional Sources
Bean, C. (2003). Meeting the challenge: Training an aging population to use computers. Southeastern Librarian 51(3).
Smith, N. (2012). Teaching computer skills to senior citizens: a Library assistant's learning experience. Georgia Library Quarterly. 49(1).
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ReplyDeleteWhen I'm helping out with computer classes at work, I run into this problem often. In fact, there is an entire class devoted to using the mouse, and we use the Mousing Around exercise you mention in another post.
ReplyDeleteClicking the mouse seems really simple to those of us who have been doing it for years, but for others, it's much more difficult. Some people want to left click really hard or not hold the mouse still while clicking. Others want to right click on everything or click both mouse buttons at the same time. And some people just have arthritis.
There are solutions to these problems, but sometimes these solutions aren't available on public access computers at the library. For instance, in the control panel, you can change the speed at which you must click in order to constitute a double click, but access to the control panel is denied on public computers. Maybe there could be special computers set up so that older, less computer literate patrons could be accommodated?
I've always found the trackball to be more difficult to use than the standard mouse, as it requires more wrist/hand motion. It also lacks the precision of a standard mouse. Older people, especially, might have trouble mastering it. I think a better alternative for older adults might be something like a handshoe mouse. I recently went to a Best Buy to test one out, and it did feel a lot more comfortable. Of course, I played around with it for only a few minutes, so I don't know how it would feel after prolonged use.
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