TY - JOUR
T1 - Older Adults' Acceptance of Activity Trackers
AU - Preusse, Kimberly C.
AU - Mitzner, Tracy L.
AU - Fausset, Cara Bailey
AU - Rogers, Wendy A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging; Grant P01 AG17211) under the auspices of the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement.
Publisher Copyright:
© Southern Gerontological Society.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - Objective: To assess the usability and acceptance of activity tracking technologies by older adults. Method: First in our multimethod approach, we conducted heuristic evaluations of two activity trackers that revealed potential usability barriers to acceptance. Next, questionnaires and interviews were administered to 16 older adults (Mage = 70, SDage = 3.09, rangeage = 65-75) before and after a 28-day field study to understand facilitators and additional barriers to acceptance. These measurements were supplemented with diary and usage data and assessed whether and why users overcame usability issues. Results: The heuristic evaluation revealed usability barriers in System Status Visibility, Error Prevention, and Consistency and Standards. The field study revealed additional barriers (e.g., accuracy, format) and acceptance-facilitators (e.g., goal tracking, usefulness, encouragement). Discussion: The acceptance of wellness management technologies, such as activity trackers, may be increased by addressing acceptance-barriers during deployment (e.g., providing tutorials on features that were challenging, communicating usefulness).
AB - Objective: To assess the usability and acceptance of activity tracking technologies by older adults. Method: First in our multimethod approach, we conducted heuristic evaluations of two activity trackers that revealed potential usability barriers to acceptance. Next, questionnaires and interviews were administered to 16 older adults (Mage = 70, SDage = 3.09, rangeage = 65-75) before and after a 28-day field study to understand facilitators and additional barriers to acceptance. These measurements were supplemented with diary and usage data and assessed whether and why users overcame usability issues. Results: The heuristic evaluation revealed usability barriers in System Status Visibility, Error Prevention, and Consistency and Standards. The field study revealed additional barriers (e.g., accuracy, format) and acceptance-facilitators (e.g., goal tracking, usefulness, encouragement). Discussion: The acceptance of wellness management technologies, such as activity trackers, may be increased by addressing acceptance-barriers during deployment (e.g., providing tutorials on features that were challenging, communicating usefulness).
KW - activity tracker
KW - aging
KW - technology acceptance
KW - usability
KW - wellness management
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U2 - 10.1177/0733464815624151
DO - 10.1177/0733464815624151
M3 - Article
C2 - 26753803
AN - SCOPUS:85008627597
SN - 0733-4648
VL - 36
SP - 127
EP - 155
JO - Journal of Applied Gerontology
JF - Journal of Applied Gerontology
IS - 2
ER -