ABSTRACT
Published research, statistics, design guidelines, and other literature typically define old as at least 65 years of age [1]. However, this isn’t universally true, so care should be taken when reading. In this chapter, older adult will refer to someone 65 years of age or older, unless otherwise specified. The number of older adults is growing in many developed countries [2-6]. By 2030, more than 20% of the U.S. population is expected to be over the age of 65 [7]. The age-based digital divide is shrinking even as the number of older adults increases [8]. Estimates of computer use among older adults range from 36 to 55% [8-10]. The number of older adults online is increasing faster than any other age group [3, 8, 11-19], and the number of older adults using computers and the Internet is likely to grow dramatically as more adults who are accustomed to using computers at work reach the age of 65 [11, 20].
