JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Technology can benefit older adults in many ways, including by facilitating remote access to services, communication, and socialization, for convenience or out of necessity when individuals are homebound. As people of all ages, but especially older adults self-quarantined and sheltered in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of usability-in-place became clear. To understand remote use of technology in an ecological valid manner, researchers and others must be able to test usability remotely. Without remote usability testing methods, certain individuals may be excluded and thus technology may be sub-optimally designed, developed, or supported. Further, usability issues such as slow internet or lighting in the home can only be validly assessed in situ.

Objective:

Our objective was to review practical approaches for and findings about remote usability testing, particularly with older adults.

Methods:

We performed a rapid review of the literature and report on available methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and practical recommendations. This review also reports recommendations from the literature for usability testing with older adults.

Results:

Critically, we identified a gap in the literature: a lack of remote usability testing methods, tools, or strategies for older adults, despite this population’s increased remote technology use and needs (e.g. due to disability or technology experience).

Conclusions:

We call on the human factors research and practice community to address this gap, towards better supporting older adults and other homebound or mobility restricted individuals.