Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Smartphone apps for people with diabetes are not being designed with older adults in mind, leading to a number of usability challenges, according to a new report.
Researchers from the non-profit Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) surveyed three of the leading iPhone blood glucose tracking mobile applications and identified a number of accessibility problems.
The Society?s Laura Whitlock said: ?We found that even though these apps are rated highly [in Apple's App Store], they may present a number of challenges for older adults."
Some 346 million people worldwide have diabetes and, while significant numbers of older people are affected, those over 65 with the condition are particularly prevalent in the developed world.
In the UK, for example, around 20 per cent of those aged over 65 have diabetes, a figure that rises to 50 per cent in some ethnic groups and the obese.
As a result of the decline in cognition, vision, and motor skills that can occur with ageing or the progression of the disease, the HFES says patients may be discouraged from using them.
http://www.pmlive.com/digital_intel...s_present_usability_problems_for_older_adults
Researchers from the non-profit Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) surveyed three of the leading iPhone blood glucose tracking mobile applications and identified a number of accessibility problems.
The Society?s Laura Whitlock said: ?We found that even though these apps are rated highly [in Apple's App Store], they may present a number of challenges for older adults."
Some 346 million people worldwide have diabetes and, while significant numbers of older people are affected, those over 65 with the condition are particularly prevalent in the developed world.
In the UK, for example, around 20 per cent of those aged over 65 have diabetes, a figure that rises to 50 per cent in some ethnic groups and the obese.
As a result of the decline in cognition, vision, and motor skills that can occur with ageing or the progression of the disease, the HFES says patients may be discouraged from using them.
http://www.pmlive.com/digital_intel...s_present_usability_problems_for_older_adults