Incentive systems for accident-free and violation-free driving in the general population

A comprehensive model of driver behaviour and accident causation shows four central variables: (a) perceptual skills relative to accident risk, (b) judgemental (decisional) skills relevant to risk-reducing and risk-enhancing actions, (c) psychomotor control skills related to vehicle handling and (d) the target level of risk, that is the degree of risk the driver wishes to accept. It can be shown on both theoretical and empirical grounds that safety promotion efforts which attempt to alter the first three of these variables can only have a temporary influence on accident frequency. Long-term effects, on the other hand, may be obtained through policy actions upon the level of desired risk in the driver population. From a utility model of the factors that control desired risk, the potential beneficial effect of instituting incentives for accident-free driving may be derived. The available literature on this point is reviewed in an attempt to identify the critical features of effective incentive programmes.     

A comparison of two training methods for improving warning symbol comprehension

This study compared the effectiveness of two different types of training in improving comprehension of warning symbols by younger (aged 20-35 years) and older adults (aged 50-70 years). The verbal label training paired the symbol with a label describing its meaning while the accident scenario training further expanded on the nature of the hazard, the required/prohibited actions, as well as the possible consequences of failing to comply. Contrary to prior research (e.g., [Lesch, M.F., 2003. Comprehension and memory for warning symbols: age-related differences and impact of training. J. Safety Res. 34, 495-505]), there was no difference in comprehension for younger and older adults prior to training, with both groups only obtaining about 40% correct responses. Both types of training improved performance on a subsequent comprehension test. However, the accident scenario training produced a higher percentage of correct responses, greater confidence in those responses, as well as a longer-lasting reduction of reaction times. In order to further improve symbol design, as well as training to address comprehension difficulties, future research should more closely examine symbol characteristics that influence comprehension.     

The effects of age on symbol comprehension in central rail hubs in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of age and symbol design features on passengers' comprehension of symbols and the performance of these symbols with regard to route guidance. In the first experiment, 30 young participants and 30 elderly participants interpreted the meanings and rated the features of 39 symbols. Researchers collected data on each subject's comprehension time, comprehension score, and feature ratings for each symbol. In the second experiment, this study used a series of photos to simulate scenarios in which passengers follow symbols to arrive at their destinations. The length of time each participant required to follow his/her route and his/her errors were recorded. Older adults experienced greater difficulty in understanding particular symbols as compared to younger adults. Familiarity was the feature most highly correlated with comprehension of symbols and accuracy of semantic depiction was the best predictor of behavior in following routes.     

A user-centred approach to the design and evaluation of auditory warning signals: 1. Methodology

This paper presents a method for the design and evaluation of auditory warning signals modelled on an existing internationally standardized method for evaluating public information systems (ISO/DIS 7001: 1979). The procedure is essentially user-centred, capitalizing upon users' associations between sounds and their meanings. The procedure is presented in a step-by-step manner, from the initial identification of referents for which warnings might be required, through the generation of ideas for warning sounds, an appropriateness ranking test, a learning and confusion test, an urgency mapping test, a recognition test and an operational test. Practical issues are discussed with respect to each of the stages, and suggestions are made as to courses of action that might be taken if problems are encountered. Theory behind the relationship between sound and meaning is discussed with reference to the practical issues addressed.     

The use of contextual information to improve land cover classification of digital remotely sensed data

All land cover classifications which use remotely sensed data contain error. Where this error is assumed to conform to particular spatial patterns, then it may be possible to apply automated correction procedures. Tests were carried out on urban:non-urban classifications of four sets of Landsat data of the U.K. Confusion between roads and urban areas was reduced by adding the results of linear feature detection to the urban classification. The results were then smoothed and remaining objects below a given size were removed. Results showed that increases in accuracy were obtained which were statistically significant at the 95 per cent confidence level.     

On the hazard of quiet vehicles to pedestrians and drivers

The need to produce more efficient and less polluting vehicles has encouraged mass production of alternative energy vehicles, such as hybrid and electric cars. Many of these vehicles are capable of very quiet operation. While reducing noise pollution is desirable, quieter vehicles could negatively affect pedestrian safety because of reduced sound cues compared to louder internal combustion engines. Three studies were performed to investigate people's concern about this issue. In Study 1, a questionnaire completed by 378 people showed substantial positive interest in quiet hybrid and electric cars. However, they also indicated concern about the reduced auditory cues of quiet vehicles. In Study 2, 316 participants rated 14 sounds that could be potentially added to quiet alternative-energy vehicles. The data showed that participants did not want annoying sounds, but preferred adding “engine” and “hum” sounds relative to other types of sounds. In Study 3, 24 persons heard and rated 18 actual sounds within 6 categories that were added to a video of a hybrid vehicle driving by. The sounds most preferred were “engine” followed by “white noise” and “hum”. Implications for adding sounds to facilitate pedestrians' detection of moving vehicles and for aiding drivers' awareness of speed are discussed.     

The use of the internet by older adults in Poland

Universal Access in the Information Society - It is generally accepted that it is young people who are particularly interested in information and communication technologies (ICT). Older adults...     

User-friendly search interface for older adults: supporting search goal refreshing in working memory to improve information search strategies

ABSTRACT

This study investigates how a search interface that displays users’ ultimate query (i.e. users’ current search goal) can cope with the age-related decrease of fluid abilities and support older users’ search behaviours. 30 young and 18 older adults completed 9 search problems with a regular web browser or with the experimental search interface. Results showed that older adults spent longer time on the search engine result pages, they needed more time to reformulate, and they had more difficulties exploring the search paths elaborated. Age-differences also appeared as soon as the beginning of the search. The support tool helped older users reformulate their queries more rapidly and elaborate more flexible search strategies at the beginning of the activity. Indeed, older adults who interacted with the support tool switched to the processing of a new search path more rapidly instead of exploiting their initial query (i.e. they visited fewer websites for the initial query produced and reformulated a query instead of keeping on conducting a deeper investigation of the search results provided in the search engine result page). Implications of these findings for the design of effective support tools for older users are discussed.     

Design for participation: providing access to e-information for older adults

Electronic information sources are becoming increasingly more prolific and offer a huge potential for those able to use them. However, for those unable to access those services, there is the risk of being further disadvantaged by continued exclusion from an increasing number of services. This paper presents two examples of kiosks designed to help principally older adults access online governmental information sources. The design issues identified and the implications for future kiosk interface designs, both for hardware and software, are also discussed.     

Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism and contextual age

Instagram is the fastest growing social network site globally. This study investigates motives for its use, and its relationship to contextual age and narcissism. A survey of 239 college students revealed that the main reasons for Instagram use are “Surveillance/Knowledge about others,” “Documentation,” “Coolness,” and “Creativity.” The next significant finding was a positive relationship between those who scored high in interpersonal interaction and using Instagram for coolness, creative purposes, and surveillance. Another interesting finding shows that there is a positive relationship between high levels of social activity (traveling, going to sporting events, visiting friends, etc.) and being motivated to use Instagram as a means of documentation. In reference to narcissism, there was a positive relationship between using Instagram to be cool and for surveillance. Theoretical contributions of this study relate to our understanding of uses and gratifications theory. This study uncovers new motives for social media use not identified in previous literature.     

Learning to use new technologies by older adults: Perceived difficulties,experimentation behaviour and usability

This paper examines the factors and theoretical frameworks for the adoption of technology for older adults, and proposes two models of technology acceptance and rejection, one from an ease of learning perspective, and one from a system and user perspective. Both models are supported from reports on two case studies of older adults using handheld touchscreen tablet devices; one in which the participants are supported during tasks primarily related to walking and navigation, and one in which participants are unsupported in communication related tasks. The first study shows the powerful role that facilitating conditions have for learning how to use digital technologies for this user group, whether supporting through step by step guidance, providing a friendly space to use trial and error methods, and/or provision of a manual. The second study shows the pitfalls of a lack of facilitating conditions during initial use, and highlights potential for appropriate design in helping to avoid some user errors during this phase.     

An anti-bunching strategy to improve bus schedule and headway reliability by making use of the available accurate information

Bus bunching could seriously damage the stability of transit system. This resultant instability always causes a dissatisfying performance of transit system. The strategies of resisting bus bunching aim at improving schedule and headway reliability so as to improve the level of service of transit system. From a perspective of effectively using accurate and reliable information, a generalized framework is proposed to deal with bus bunching and explain the potential efficiencies of various existing anti-bunching strategies. In particular, a strategy that adaptively determines the actual holding time and/or adjusts the bus cruising speed when a bus arrives at a bus stop is studied in depth. The information required by this new strategy includes only the arrival time of the current bus at the current bus stop and the arrival times of the preceding bus at this bus stop and the next. The nonlinearity of boarding process is also taken into account in this new strategy. Numerical analysis and simulation experiment show that the new strategy can not only alleviate bus bunching and keep high schedule and headway reliability with less slack added in schedule, but also generate a relatively high commercial speed for the cruising buses.     

Interactive multimedia content for older adults: the case of SeniorChannel

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Interactive multimodal content fruition is increasingly available on platforms accessible via smart televisions (TVs), personal computers (PCs), or tablets....     

Personalization of Web browsing: adaptations to meet the needs of older adults

Despite difficulties in using the Web, older adults are motivated to use it. This paper reports on work underway to ease Web access for this population. Although Web accessibility standards provide specifications that Web content providers must incorporate if their pages are to be accessible, these standards do not guarantee a good experience for all Web users. This paper will discuss user controls that make a number of dynamic adaptations to page presentation and input that can greatly increase the usability of Web pages for older users. The paper will discuss the authors original work on the topic, lessons learned, and usage patterns. Current extensions to that work are also discussed.     

Smartphone use during the leisure theme park visit experience: The role of contextual factors

Recent studies indicate the increasingly important role of smartphones in the customer experience. This research proposes and empirically validates a conceptual framework capturing the influence of five contextual factors on the types and intensity of smartphone use and therefore on the leisure experience during a theme park visit. A mixed research protocol combining an ethnographic approach, leisure experience narratives, and phenomenological interviews is constructed. Because of the secluded nature of theme parks, smartphones play a key role during downtime periods and thus allow visitors to enhance their leisure experience through relational and hedonic use.     

Exploring influencing factors of technology use for active and healthy ageing support in older adults

ABSTRACT

Aim of this study is to investigate the influence of technological and social cognitive factors for the use of sensor-based technologies for active and healthy ageing (AHA) support by older adults. In a mixed methods approach, data was initially obtained from an online questionnaire completed by older health technology users and used in a regression analysis, where factors from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) served as predictors for health technology use (HTU). Further, in-depth interviews were conducted with older adults to gain insights into technology use and physical activity behaviour of older adults. The regression analysis showed that the TAM and SCT factors accounted for a significant proportion of variance (39.5%) in HTU. Significant predictors of HTU were physical activity (.399**), social support (.287*), and expectations regarding individual health (.440*) and physical appearance (?.470**), indicating physical activity as mediator for HTU. The qualitative analysis indicated the conflation of technology support with social environments as key for physical activity behaviour in older adults. The findings indicate physical activity as a mediator in HTU by older adults and suggest that the consideration of social factors in health technology design may facilitate the uptake of AHA technologies.     

Learning three sets of alarms for the same medical functions: A perspective on the difficulty of learning alarms specified in an international standard

Three sets of eight alarms supporting eight functions specified in an international medical equipment standard (IEC 60601-1-8) were tested for learnability using non-anaesthetist participants. One set consisted of the tonal alarms specified in the standard. A second set consisted of a set of abstract alarms randomly selected from a database of abstract alarm sounds held by the authors. A third set of alarms was designed as indirect metaphors of the functions. Participants were presented with the alarms and then asked to identify them across ten blocks of eight trials. The results indicated a significant difference in learnability across the three sets of alarms. The indirect metaphors were learned significantly better than both other sets of alarms, and the randomly selected abstract alarms were learned significantly better than the alarms specified in the standard. The results suggest therefore that there are more readily learnable possible designs than those proposed in the standard. The use of auditory icons in particular should be given serious consideration as potential alarms for this application.     

Internet use intention and adoption among Chinese older adults: From the expanded technology acceptance model perspective

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how various factors intertwine to affect Chinese older adults’ decisions to adopt the Internet by applying the expanded technology acceptance model (TAM). Perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), subjective norm (SN), and facilitating conditions (FC) were four key predictors. Gender and age were included in the proposed model as factors to moderate the effect of two key TAM components (PU and PEU) on adoption behaviors. The results indicate that PU, PEU, and SN were significant predictors of Internet adoption among Chinese older adults, while PU, SN, and FC were significant predictors of Internet use intention. The effect of PEU on Internet use intention was also found to be stronger for older seniors than younger seniors. Implications for future research and practices are discussed.     

Strategies for teaching older people to use the World Wide Web

Information is increasingly displayed digitally, yet less than half of the population of the UK use the Internet. Older people are especially unlikely to be Internet users and the consequent risks of digital exclusion must be addressed. A training course in computers and web use for older adults took place at the University of Dundee, with 15 participants. The course approach was to simplify application interfaces and to ensure that basic skills were learnt before more complicated tasks were presented. As part of this process, there was a focus on learning to use the computer before learners were introduced to the web with its wide variety of content. The course outcomes were positive and the authors report them here in order to reflect upon the experience and help others who set out to provide training for older people in web use.