"Daglig dator" : Combating computer anxiety through daily online exercises

• Main Author: Johansson Åhed, Fredrik
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Institutionen för informatik 2020
• Subjects: HCI; UX design; design for the elderly; computer anxiety; computer self-efficacy; digital divide; digital exclusion; Human Aspects of ICT; Mänsklig interaktion med IKT
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-172720

It’s well known that the contemporary rapid development of technology has created a digital divide between those who adopt and use the emerging digital services, and those who don’t. The ones who fail to adapt to the new digital society, is at great risk of being completely excluded from it, which strips away both social, health related and economical opportunities. These people are often seniors, and multiple factors weigh in on their non-participation. One of the more common factors are technology relates stress, and in extension, computer anxiety. While there exists literature on how to reduce computer anxiety, it’s often linked to physical training courses that the user can sign up for. The purpose of this study is to explore a completely digital solution, based upon the loose principles identified by Dos Santos and Santana (2018). This is done through the creation and evaluation of a senior-oriented website, that offers the user daily exercises in basic computer management, knowledge, and safety, with the goal of reducing computer anxiety. The results show both that the principles indeed can be used as design guidelines, and that my design has potential, although some adjustments have to be made.