Help needs help – let’s improve the tech experience for older adults

The gap between some older adults and the devices/software they need does not narrow. As AARP responders noted in their survey, tech products do not seem to be designed with them in mind.  There are many indicators of this, but it was reinforced on a flight recently.  An older woman nearby struggles to access Wi-Fi, which is, uh, not that obvious. After a while, even with help, she gave up and read a book. She was not unlike the responders aged 70+ in the AARP survey who did not believe that tech could enable a healthy life. So how can this gap be closed? 

The iPhone now has a variant of Samsung’s Easy Mode.  The decluttering aspect of Easy Mode on a Samsung device was a good idea. And now Apple has the equivalent – Assistive Access.  Added in 2024, Assistive Access enables shrinking the menu options down to the most useful few, a great improvement for those with low vision or dexterity issues. Based on settings, the screen would simplify to a shorter list of the most useful options – with the ability to add or subtract. This could also be particularly helpful for Apple Car Play or Android Auto, which could default to Assistive Access or voice settings and reduce driving distractions that result from scanning too many options.

Towards simplification: Help needs help.  When a person is typing on an iPhone or iPad screen and they are poking around the blank space, how about a pop-up that says: “I see you are trying to find a feature, can I help?”  This could be especially helpful if it was based on the location a person was tapping – near the hard-to-see Search option perhaps? An analog: the ‘Sticky Keys’ option on a Windows PC. If you hit the Shift button five times, a popup inquires whether you are having difficulty accessing a keyboard shortcut.

Reviewing and testing should include password management simplification. While it would be nice if older adults were invited to review and test new versions of phones, tablets, and software – this seems unlikely, given the pace of new releases and updates. Perhaps healthcare professionals could be invited to participate to observe the experience of using MyChart or any Digital Health tech.  Engage AARP’s skills training team, Cyber-Seniors or OATS.org in review of commonly used and required services.  AARP could sponsor a task force with tech firms to simplify password management or identify new ways to help users avoid scams.  And spam and scam management videos could be available at places where older adults congregate – like senior centers, senior living, or adult day centers.