ABSTRACT
Improving Perception of Information For systems to be usable, they must first be perceptible. The focus of this chapter is on how age-related changes in perceptual systems such as vision, hearing, and haptics can affect user interaction. Designers most frequently rely on these perceptual channels although, in some cases, smell (and possibly taste) could be used to signal important system states. (For example, natural gas, which is odorless, is often mixed with an odorant to enable people to detect gas leaks.)
This chapter is divided into sections on vision, hearing, and haptics. Our goal is to provide a brief summary of some of the sensory and perceptual changes that occur with age (see Chapter 2 for details) and to examine the implications of those changes for the design of products and environments. Our aim is to develop design principles and recommendations that can enhance the likelihood that older adults will be able to interact successfully with technical systems.
