Emergent usage of Artifacts: A Comparative Analysis of Interactions with a Single Function Artifact, between Younger and Older Adults

Abstract

Emergent usage is a new concept in human-artifact (a general term for tools, Norman, 1990) interaction, which assumes that users are not following the designer's intended method of use, but are developing their own method of use through interaction with the artifact. This concept reveals another problem with usability for older adults, which is now widely recognized for its importance given the increasing proportion of older adults in society. In this paper, we report an experimental analysis of "emergent usage" of new artifacts, comparing older and younger adults. Eight groups of older adults (65 years old or over, 8 male, 8 female), and 8 groups of younger adults (university students, 10 male, 10 female; half of the groups consisted of 3 people, and the other half of 2 people) tried to use hundreds piecess of Kapla (a simple wooden building block) for an hour, without any specific instructions. We analyzed the kinds of objects they built from the blocks, and how they used the Kapla pieces in their objects. We also analyzed group members' interactions with each other to examine changes in human-Kapla interactions and age differences. Younger adults' initial interactions were not purpose driven but showed large changes as experience with Kapla increased. Older adults' behaviors were as strongly goal-directed, but their dependency on goals sometimes resulted in negative effects such as reductions in flexibility in interactions with Kapla. A model of age differences in human-artifact interaction is proposed, and its implications for supportive designs for older adults are discussed. •‚-î ŽÐ ‰ï ‚Ì ' †,‹@ Ší ƒf ƒUƒCƒ"‚É‚¨‚¯‚É‚¨‚¯ ‚é•‚-î ŽÒ 'Î ‰ž ‚ª ‹• ‚ß ‚ç‚ê ‚éˆê •û,'è ‚ß ‚ç‚ê ‚½Žè• ‡ ‚ð'€ •ì ‚· ‚é‚Ì ‚Å‚Í ‚È ‚-,ƒ † •[ ƒU‚ª Ž©-R ‚È-Ú "I •E 'n ˆÓ‚É‚ae‚è•l •H•¨(ƒ‚ ƒm)‚Ì Ž•‚Â"Á•« ‚⠉ "\ •« ‚ð'T•õ ‚µ‚È‚ª ‚ç•l •H•¨ ‚ðŽg-p ‚· ‚é •u 'n "-"I Žg-p(emergent usage)•v ‚Ì •d-v •« ‚à"FŽ¯ ‚³ ‚êŽn‚ß ‚Ä‚¢ ‚é.-{ OE¤ ‹ † ‚Í,'P ‹@"\ •l •H•¨ •uKapla(•Ï ‚Ý-Ø)•v ‚ð-p ‚¢ ‚Ä,'n "-"IŽg-p ‚Ì ' ¶ •Ý‚Ì-L-³,‚È ‚ç‚Ñ‚É‚»‚Ì "F'm"I‰Á-î‚É"º ‚¤•Ï ‰» ‚ðOEŸ "¢‚· ‚é ‚½‚ß,•‚-î ŽÒ‚AE Žá"N•¬•l ‚Ì "ä Šr •ª •Í ‚ð ‚· ‚éŽÀ OE± ‚ð•s ‚Á‚½.Žá "N•¬•l ‚AE‚µ‚Ä'å Šw• ¶ "¯•«2•`3•l ‚Ì 'g8'g(20-¼)‚È ‚ç‚Ñ‚É65 •Î ˆÈ•ã ‚Ì •‚-î ŽÒ2•l 'g8'g(16-¼)‚Ì ŽQ ‰Á ‚ð"¾‚Ä,60•ª ŠÔƒJ ƒvƒ‰ ‚ðŽ©-R ‚É-˜-p ‚· ‚銈"‚銈"®‚𕪠•Í ‚µ‚½OE‹‰Ê,•‚-î ŽÒ ‚Í Žá"N•¬•l ‚AE "ä Šr ‚µ‚Ä,-Ú "I ‚ðŽ• ‚½‚¸‚É‚½‚¸‚É•l •H•¨ ‚AE '½-l ‚È'Š OEÝ •ì-p ‚ðŽŽ‚· ‚± ‚AE ‚É'Î ‚µ‚Ä•Á‹É"I ‚Å‚ ‚é ‚± ‚AE ‚ª ‚í ‚©‚Á‚½.‚Ü ‚½,‹ï 'Ì "I‚È-Ú •W‚ð-§ ‚Ä‚½•ã ‚Å'Š OEÝ •ì-p ‚ð•s ‚¤‚ª,‚» ‚Ì •Û‚É-Ú •W‚É‚ae‚Á‚Ä'n "-"I ‚ÈŽg-p ‚ª • §-ñ ‚³ ‚ê ‚Ä‚¢ ‚é ‚± ‚AE ‚ª-¾‚ç‚©‚AE ‚È‚Á‚½.•V ‚µ‚¢•l •H•¨ ‚É'Î ‚· ‚é-˜-p •s "®‚É'å ‚« ‚ȉÁ-î •Ï ‰» ‚ª ‚ ‚é ‚± ‚AE ‚ª Ž¦ ‚³ ‚ê ‚½‚± ‚AE ‚©‚ç,•‚-î ŽÒ ‚ðŽå‚ȃ^•[ ƒQƒb ƒg‚AE ‚· ‚é‹@Ší ŠJ"-‚É‚¨‚¢‚É‚¨‚¢ ‚Ä,'n "-"IŽg-p ‚ð‚¢ ‚©‚ÉŽx‰ ‡ ‚µ‚Ä‚¢ ‚-‚× ‚«‚©, ‚ɂ‚¢ ‚Ä•l Ž@ ‚ð•s ‚Á‚½. (ƒL•[ ƒ••[ ƒh:'n "-"IŽg-p,Žá"N•¬•l •E •‚-î ŽÒ "ä Šr,•l ˆê•l •H•¨ 'Š OEÝ •ì-p,"F 'm"I •‚-î ‰») 1.‚Í ‚ ¶ ‚ß ‚É ŽÐ‰ï‚Ì •‚-‚É "º ‚¢,•î •ñ ‹@Ší ‚ð ‚Í ‚ ¶ ‚ß ‚AE‚· ‚é-l•X‚È ‹@Ší ‚É ‚¨‚¢‚¨‚¢ ‚Ä•‚-îŽÒ'Î ‰ž‚ª ‹• ‚ß ‚ç ‚ê ‚Ä‚¢ ‚é.•‚-îŽÒ'Î ‰ž ‚Ì '½ ‚-‚Í,Ž‹-Í,'®-Í,•I ãk "®•ì "\-Í‚È ‚Ç ‚Ì ‰Á-î‚É "º ‚¤ ‹@"\ 'á ‰º‚ð •â ‚¤ ‚½‚ß ‚Ì ‚à ‚Ì ‚Å ‚ ‚è,•l ŠÔ•HŠw-̈ae ‚É ‚¨‚¢‚¨‚¢ ‚ÄOEŸ "¢ ‚ª ‚È ‚³ ‚ê,‚» ‚Ì •¬ ‰Ê ‚Í •Ý OEvƒKƒC ƒhƒ‰ ƒCƒ" ‚È ‚Ç ‚AE‚µ ‚Ä•®"õ ‚³ ‚ê ‚Ä ‚« ‚Ä‚¢ ‚é1•`3).ˆê •û,OE´"OE´"c •E•Ô'Ã4)‚Í,‹â •s ‚ÌATM‚ð ‚Í ‚ ¶ ‚ß ‚AE‚· ‚é•î •ñ ‹@Ší ‚Ì ƒ † •[ ƒUƒr ƒŠƒe ƒBƒe ƒX ƒg ‚ð •s ‚¢,‹@ Ší Žg-p Žž ‚É ‚¨‚¯‚¨‚¯ ‚é •‚-îŽÒ‚É "Á'¥ "I ‚È "F 'm•s "® "I "Á•« ‚𠎦 ‚µ ‚½.‚± ‚ê ‚ç ‚Ì "Á•« ‚ð ‚³ ‚ç ‚É OEŸ "¢ ‚µ ‚½OE‹‰Ê ‚© ‚ç,•‚-îŽÒ‚ª ƒ‚ ƒm(•l •H•¨artifacts5))‚ð Žg ‚¤•Û ‚É •¢ "ï ‚ð "º ‚¢ ‚ª ‚¿ ‚É ‚È ‚é OE´ˆö ‚É ‚Í,'å ‚« ‚-•ª ‚¯ ‚Ä3‚ ‚Ì-vˆö ‚ª ‚ ‚é ‚AE‚µ ‚½(•}1).ˆê ‚ ‚Í,‰Á-î‚É "º ‚¤ "] •_ OEoOEn‚Ì •Ï ‰»‚É"º ‚¤ "F 'm "I ‹@"\ 'á ‰º‚Å ‚ ‚è,‚± ‚ê ‚Í,"-OE»‚Ì OE •l •· ‚Í ‚ ‚é