Prediction of the use of mobile device interfaces in the progressive aging process with the model of Fitts' law.

PURPOSE: As the population ages, so do the potential users of technology, and older adults' behaviors when using mobile device interfaces are becoming increasingly important. A representative model for detecting older adults' behaviors and performance on the use of mobile device interfaces is needed to provide individualized designs. This research aimed to investigate the applicability of the broadly used model of Fitts' law to detect the progressive changes in the use of mobile device interfaces in older adults. The effect of experience with using technology on performance on a Fitts task was also examined. METHOD: A sample of 135 older adults was recruited to test the application of Fitts' model to the use of technology by older adult users. Each participant was asked to finish tasks at 9 levels of difficulty, from easy to difficult, in a multidirectional tapping task. Analysis of variance was employed to examine the effect of age on performance on the Fitts task, movement time, and the standard deviation of movement time. Stepwise regression was used to investigate how well age and technology use could predict performance on the Fitts task. RESULT: Performance on the Fitts task was sensitive to the gradual changes in abilities with aging. Rather than the amount of experience in using technology, age was the stronger predictor of older adults' performance on the Fitts task. Additionally, compared with the younger groups, the users above 80 years old demonstrated significantly higher behavioral variation during the use of mobile device interfaces. CONCLUSION: This research confirmed that Fitts' law is applicable to the evaluation of the effects of aging on the use of mobile device interfaces. Adults above the age of 80 years should be a major focus for special individualized interface design. This finding can inform future designers and researchers in the development of individualized interface designs for older adult users to enhance their user experiences of mobile device technology. RELEVANCE TO INDUSTRY: Future designers and researchers can apply the finding on Fitts' law in this research to develop user-friendly interface designs for mobile technology for older adults and thereby improve their user experiences to enhance their independence and quality of life through the use of technology.

The development of a mobile user interface ability evaluation system for the elderly.

This research aimed to develop a comprehensive evaluation of the mobile user interface abilities of the elderly so that technology can be designed to meet individualized needs. A total of 135 older adults were evaluated with the developed system, the Elderly Mobile User Interface Ability Evaluation System (EMUIAES). The prediction of age and the use of technology on elderly mobile interface usage were investigated based on the findings of the evaluation. The relationship between performance on Fitts' task and elderly mobile user interface ability (EMUIA) was also examined. The findings showed a strong effect of age on the elderly's use of mobile user interfaces. Previous experience with personal and tablet computers also contributed to the use of mobile user interfaces. In addition, this research demonstrated the application of Fitts' law to describe the elderly mobile user interface behaviors, particularly for tasks involving fast tapping and pointing. The EMUIAES can provide future researchers and designers a comprehensive tool to describe the elderly's diverse behaviors and changes in their ability to use mobile interfaces. Individualized interface designs for elderly users can be developed based on these findings to improve the elderly users' experiences of using technology.

The Effect of a Virtual Reality Game Intervention on Balance for Patients with Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of virtual reality (VR) balance training conducted using Kinect for Xbox® games on patients with chronic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients with mild to moderate motor deficits were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups: VR plus standard treatment group and standard treatment (ST) group. In total, 12 training sessions (90 minutes a session, twice a week) were conducted in both groups, and performance was assessed at three time points (pretest, post-test, and follow-up) by a blinded assessor. The outcome measures were the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Functional Reach Test, and Timed Up and Go Test (cognitive; TUG-cog) for balance evaluations; Modified Barthel Index for activities of daily living ability; Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale for balance confidence; and Stroke Impact Scale for quality of life. The pleasure scale and adverse events were also recorded after each training session. RESULTS: Both groups exhibited significant improvement over time in the BBS (P = 0.000) and TUG-cog test (P = 0.005). The VR group rated the experience as more pleasurable than the ST group during the intervention (P = 0.027). However, no significant difference was observed in other outcome measures within or between the groups. No serious adverse events were observed during the treatment in either group. CONCLUSIONS: VR balance training by using Kinect for Xbox games plus the traditional method had positive effects on the balance ability of patients with chronic stroke. The VR group experienced higher pleasure than the ST group during the intervention.

The effects of gardening on quality of life in people with stroke.

BACKGROUND: Compared with traditional rehabilitation, gardening has been viewed as a more occupation-based intervention to help patients improve functional performance. However, there is still a need for evidence-based research into what factors interact to create the beneficial effects of gardening for people who have sustained a cerebral vascular accident (CVA). OBJECTIVE: To explore how plant, gender, and the time after stroke onset influenced improvements in the quality of life of patients in a gardening program. METHODS: One treatment of tending short-term plants, and another treatment of tending long-term plants were compared. Quality of life improvement was evaluated according to three factors: plant, gender, and the time after stroke onset. The data were analyzed with 2k replicated factorial designs. RESULTS: The 2k factorial design with replication indicated significant effects on both the social role and the family role. For the social role, the interaction of plant and gender difference was significant. For the family role, the significant effects were found on interaction of plant with both gender and the time after stroke onset. CONCLUSIONS: Tending plants with different life cycles has varied effects on the quality of life of people who have sustained a CVA. Factors related to gender and the time after stroke onset influenced role competency in this sample.

An investigation of pointing postures in a 3D stereoscopic environment.

Many object pointing and selecting techniques for large screens have been proposed in the literature. There is a lack of quantitative evidence suggesting proper pointing postures for interacting with stereoscopic targets in immersive virtual environments. The objective of this study was to explore users' performances and experiences of using different postures while interacting with 3D targets remotely in an immersive stereoscopic environment. Two postures, hand-directed and gaze-directed pointing methods, were compared in order to investigate the postural influences. Two stereo parallaxes, negative and positive parallaxes, were compared for exploring how target depth variances would impact users' performances and experiences. Fifteen participants were recruited to perform two interactive tasks, tapping and tracking tasks, to simulate interaction behaviors in the stereoscopic environment. Hand-directed pointing is suggested for both tapping and tracking tasks due to its significantly better overall performance, less muscle fatigue, and better usability. However, a gaze-directed posture is probably a better alternative than hand-directed pointing for tasks with high accuracy requirements in home-in phases. Additionally, it is easier for users to interact with targets with negative parallax than with targets with positive parallax. Based on the findings of this research, future applications involving different pointing techniques should consider both pointing performances and postural effects as a result of pointing task precision requirements and potential postural fatigue.