Literature Reviews

Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.

• Designing Wheelchair-Based Movement Games

  Kathrin M. Gerling, Regan L. Mandryk, Matthew Miller, Michael R. Kalyn, Max Birk, Jan D. Smeddinck (2015) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents KINECTWheels, a toolkit for integrating wheelchair movements into motion-based video games, along with two games built using the toolkit: Cupcake Heaven (designed for older adults in care facilities) and Wheelchair Revolution (a c…

  • wheelchair
  • game accessibility
  • exergame
  • Kinect
  • motor impairment
  • older adults
  • inclusive design
  • physical activity
  • mixed-ability group

• A Pool of Representative Users for Accessibility Research: Seeing through the Eyes of the Users

  Marianne Dee, Vicki L. Hanson (2016) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper documents the establishment, management, and lessons learned from the SiDE (Social Inclusion through the Digital Economy) User Pool, a large participant pool of over 800 older adults created at the University of Dundee to support accessibi…

  • research methods
  • participant recruitment
  • older adults
  • user pool
  • accessibility research
  • digital inclusion
  • vulnerable populations
  • ethics

• An Analysis of Age, Technology Usage, and Cognitive Characteristics Within Information Retrieval Tasks

  Michael Crabb, Vicki L. Hanson (2016) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper challenges the common practice of using chronological age as the primary metric for distinguishing user performance in HCI studies, arguing that Internet confidence and cognitive factors — particularly perceptual speed — are far better pre…

  • aging
  • cognitive accessibility
  • web search
  • information retrieval
  • fluid intelligence
  • internet experience
  • usability
  • older adults

• Guidelines for Creating Senior-Friendly Product Instructions

  Meng Fan, Khai N. Truong (2018) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper addresses the widespread challenge older adults face when using product instructions, which are typically designed for a general audience without consideration for age-related changes in cognition, vision, and motor skills. The authors dev…

  • aging
  • product instructions
  • guidelines
  • usability
  • older adults
  • instructional design
  • cognitive accessibility

• Effects of Extended Use of an Age-friendly Computer System on Assessments of Computer Proficiency, Attitudes, and Usability by Older Non-Computer Users

  Joseph Sharit, Jerad H. Moxley, Walter R. Boot, Neil Charness, Wendy A. Rogers, Sara J. Czaja (2019) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper examines the impact of 12 months of extended use of PRISM (Personal Reminder Information and Social Management), a computer system specifically designed for older adults at risk of social isolation, on computer proficiency, attitudes towar…

  • older adults
  • computer proficiency
  • social isolation
  • usability
  • age-friendly design
  • technology adoption
  • digital divide
  • longitudinal study
  • cognitive abilities

• Making Emergency Calls More Accessible to Older Adults Through a Hands-free Speech Interface in the House

  Michel Vacher, Frédéric Aman, Solange Rossato, François Portet, Benjamin Lecouteux (2019) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents CirdoX, a hands-free voice user interface system designed to detect emergency calls for help from older adults living alone at home. Wearable personal emergency response (PER) systems — typically pendant buttons worn on the neck o…

  • speech recognition
  • aging
  • emergency response
  • ambient assisted living
  • smart home
  • voice user interface
  • older adults
  • hands-free interaction
  • fall detection

• Development and Evaluation of the Mobile Tech Support Questionnaire for Older Adults

  Hasti Sharifi, Joseph E Michaelis, Debaleena Chattopadhyay (2024) — ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper develops and validates the Mobile Tech Support Questionnaire (MTSQ), a standardised instrument for measuring older adults' preferences for and perceived quality of technology support during ongoing mobile device use. While mobile device ow…

  • older adults
  • mobile technology
  • tech support
  • questionnaire development
  • digital literacy
  • ageing
  • scale development
  • self-reliant support
  • social support

• Exploring Older Adults' Reminiscing with ChatGPT and Text-to-Image Technology

  Yuxiang Zhai, Jiawen Zhang, Jihong Jeung (2024) — Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This short paper explores the potential of generative AI technologies — specifically ChatGPT for conversational elicitation and text-to-image generation (DALL-E) — as tools to support reminiscence storytelling by older adults. Reminiscence, the act o…

  • older adults
  • generative AI
  • reminiscence therapy
  • well-being
  • storytelling
  • text-to-image
  • conversational AI

• Exploring Videoconferencing for Older Adults with Cognitive Concerns Using a Dramaturgical Lens

  Ruipu Hu, Ge Gao, Amanda Lazar (2024) — Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper examines how older adults with cognitive concerns — ranging from subjective cognitive complaints to diagnosed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage dementia — experience videoconferencing platforms like Zoom. Using Erving Goffman…

  • cognitive accessibility
  • older adults
  • videoconferencing
  • mild cognitive impairment
  • dementia
  • social participation
  • ageing