The effects of ageing and website ergonomic quality on internet information searching

Bibliographic Data

ID11200751
AuthorsAline Chevalier (0000-0002-2490-1212, Université Paris Nanterre, corresponding author), AURÉLIE DOMMES (0000-0001-5545-9634, Institut Français), Daniel Martins (0000-0002-2346-9667, Université Paris Nanterre)
Year2013
Volume33
Issue6
Pages1009-1035
Publication date2013-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x12000323
OpenAlexW2131252425
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited52

Since the 1990s, the number of websites and web users, especially older users, has increased extensively. Despite the rapid growth in the number of websites, a significant number of ergonomic violations still hinder the information search activity performed by web users. As ageing is associated with reduced working memory capacity, inhibition failure, slowing of processing speed and more generally impaired executive functioning, older adult web users may experience difficulties while searching for information, especially when the website includes ergonomic violations, such as usability and accessibility violations. In this experiment, the navigation activities of younger and older web users were compared while they were searching for information on a website that met ergonomic guidelines and on a website that included ergonomic violations. The participants then performed a free, delayed-recall task to assess their mental representation of the website they had just navigated. The main findings showed that ageing had a negative impact on search performance but few effects on mental representation built by participants. On the contrary, the ergonomic quality of the website had an impact on search performance and mental representation built by the participants

Cognitive psychology · Human–computer interaction · Medical emergency · Poison control · Quality (philosophy) · Recall · Task (project management) · The Internet · Usability · World Wide Web · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · Engineering · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Human-Automation Interaction and Safety · Medicine · Psychology · Technology Adoption and User Behaviour · Technology Use by Older Adults