E-mail interfaces for older people

The work introduced here concerns the user interface requirements of older users of e-mail. The main goal is to understand better the e-mail needs of older people, and to form a foundation for further developments in simplified and rationalised e-mail interfaces. The approach involved working closely with older computer users to establish their essential requirements, attempting thus to reduce complication and excess functionality in the interface, with the intention that users should find the system easy to learn and use. Requirements were established through interviews and consultation, and once the necessary functionality was identified, prototype interfaces were developed from which older volunteers selected preferred forms. A simulated e-mail system was then built around these preferred forms. Trials with older participants indicated that the design was popular, and gave insights and outcomes which helped form the agenda for a major project on e-mail for older people