ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview issues related to older adult-interface fit. It discusses mental models that older users bring to interactions and examples of common usability problems. The chapter focuses on features of design that can minimize such problems, particularly features promoting error avoidance and recovery, and discuss the role of aesthetics in user experience. It provides guidelines on selecting input and output elements for an interface and also discusses advantages and disadvantages of those features. The Goals, Operators, Methods, Selection rules modeling best apply to routine tasks, after someone has had significant experience with an interface and is able to form goals and sub-goals fluently as well as quickly select operators appropriate to achieving the goals. Consistency for layout of control elements in a user interface (UI) is usually a very important design goal. Input devices can provide a UI with information about the user’s intentions, such as desire to navigate or to communicate.
