They say you're still young and carefree until 35 these days, but computer experts at the University are warning that our ability to pick up new tricks takes a nose dive after 35.
Dr Peter Gregor and Professor Alan Newell have just secured funding of £26,000 from IBM and £18,000 from Microsoft to design computer systems for older people that will eliminate barriers to using IT - but have admitted that these 'older' people are aged 35 and over.
Peter explains, "People who design web pages assume a lot of knowledge from their users. For example, a person sitting down to the internet for the first time would not realise that they could choose anything from a busy news site, but would start at the top left hand corner and go through everything on the page rarely reaching the information they need.
Learning to use the internet is a process of trial and error but once a person is over 35 they won't be as quick to pick up what a link is and apply that knowledge to the next website they visit. We are looking at accessibility for ‘older people’ but in fact we are making IT easier for the majority of people."
Alan said, "There are so many options provided by computers that we are overwhelmed by the amount they CAN do and often don't find exactly what we WANT them to do.
For example, how many of the programmes on washing machines do people actually use? Do you know what all the buttons on your TV remote control do?"
Microsoft has awarded money to the University's computing experts to cut down on these functions and provide Embedded Computers like those that are are found in cars, washing machines etc to cut out all the confusing options.
Peter and Alan are working with colleagues in the Digital Media Access Group who assess websites for accessibility for blind and disabled people and the Utopia group who are investigating how to make technologies more accessible for older people to achieve their aims.
The team are delighted that IBM and Microsoft have awarded the funds to the Division of Applied Computing. Alan said, "Computing experts at the University have a very good relationship with IBM and Microsoft and we are very pleased that these companies see us as the people who are pushing the frontiers of new, usable and marketable technologies."