Mobile technology and e-inclusion

Abstract

This paper will describe work funded by the European Union (Intereg NSR) iAge project which attempts to address the issues surrounding accessibility to mobile devices and services. The project takes the approach of combining three approaches directed at allowing greater inclusion in mobile technologies for our increasingly aging population. Focus groups sessions are used to ascertain the real problems the older generation has with mobile devices. An iterative design process is then used to create assistive applications which not only assist the user but give them a purpose to interact with the technology. Workshops are then used to provide developers and service providers with an interactive experience of how the elderly feel when using mobile technology. Finally the paper describes how the combination of these approaches will create a transnational framework of best practice for future developers. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.