Older web users' eye movements: experience counts

Robin Hill, Anna Dickinson, John Arnott, Peter Gregor, Louise McIver

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingOther chapter contribution

    29 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Eye-tracking is a valuable tool for usability research. Studies into the effect of age on eye-movement behavior tend to indicate a propensity for slower viewing and longer times spent examining information. This pattern is usually attributed to the general physiological and cognitive slowdown associated with normal aging. In this paper, however, across three different tasks based on computer and internet use (free-viewing, visual search, and browser interaction), we show that among older adults (n=18, age range: 70-93) computer experience appears to be a highly important factor in eye-movement behavior. We argue that as a consequence of the experimental environment used in modern eye-tracking studies, characteristics such as familiarity and experience with computers should be taken into account before conclusions are drawn about the raw effects of age.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationCHI '11
    Subtitle of host publicationProceedings of the 2011 annual conference on Human factors in computing systems
    Place of PublicationNew York
    PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
    Pages1151-1160
    Number of pages10
    ISBN (Electronic)9781450302289
    ISBN (Print)9781450302678
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2011
    EventACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Vancouver, Canada
    Duration: 7 May 201112 May 2011
    http://www.chi2011.org/

    Conference

    ConferenceACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    Abbreviated titleCHI 2011
    Country/TerritoryCanada
    CityVancouver
    Period7/05/1112/05/11
    Internet address

    Keywords

    • Ageing
    • Eye-tracking
    • Experience
    • Web usability
    • Human computer interaction
    • Eye movements

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