LEARNING TO USE COMPUTERS AT A LATER AGE

10 older adults were interviewed about their experiences with computers, as well as their motivations behind learning to use computers at a later age. In addition to the interviews, the elderly were observed as they were using web for information search. The motivations for learning to use computers varied, some were motivated by the possible benefits, some thought they had to learn it, and some had personal reasons for learning. Usually, computer usage felt difficult at first, but when support was available, the elderly were enthusiastic and fearless learners. The main problems in the interaction with web search engines were related to editing the text in the queries, understanding the terminology, and understanding the structure of the web. 1