Main usability issues in using virtual environments for older population warning studies

Abstract

Over the last decades, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has emerged as a promising tool for numerous human performance assessments. Together with the expansion of such systems, several Virtual Environment (VE) usability criteria have been developed to ensure their optimal production and efficiency. However, the current status of such measures for warning research is scarce; and most importantly, design guidelines for defining VEs for middle-aged and older adult interactions with warnings are even more rare. In order to create effective and inclusive VEs for older age groups, warning researchers must be informed of the main age-related perceptual and cognitive changes that may hinder the experience, as well as should determine which of the usability issues are most important for a particular VE system. This paper provides a theoretical framework which seeks to highlight the main subject matters that embrace the design, implementation and evaluation of VE studies for older population warning research. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.