by Max Baumgarten
March 1, 2010
Product designers can compensate for a noisy and loud environment by supplementing auditory cues with visual information. (The transverse of this approach is effective as well: we can rely on an auditory explanation to decode a cluttered visual surroundings.) Furthermore, it is difficult for older adults to process compressed and rushed speech [...]
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by Max Baumgarten
March 1, 2010
While older adults may have trouble identifying the location of a particular sound, product designers can counterbalance such deficiencies by utilizing sounds between 5000 and 8000 Hz. Furthermore, auditory stimuli should not be introduced right behind or right in front of a user; sounds that need to be localized should be present long enough [...]
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Are Gadgets Made for the Elderly Condescending?
by Max Baumgarten March 2, 2010TechRadar.com writer Gary Marshall’s recently penned a thoughtful, controversial, and provocative piece on the state of technology for seniors, the not-so-subtly titled “Stop Insulting the Elderly with Crappy Technology.” Marshall argues that growing old is difficult enough for many individuals; seniors don’t need to be bombarded with pricey and patronizing technological “innovations.”