I was chatting with a friend and our talk went something
like this…
Friend: This lockdown is especially tough on our parents,
right? They can’t make sense of smart phones and new technology and we are too impatient
when we have to repeat the same instructions over and over again.
Me: Yeah, but I think they can adapt and change. They only need
to have the desire to learn. I’ve been reading about the brain and psychology.
The brain is an extremely flexible organ. But after retirement, our elders seem
to lose their sense of purpose and tend to look at things negatively. (I go on
in this way for some time, talking about all that I had read and the power of
the mind).
My friend paused, gathered her thoughts and said: I think we
are approaching this from two different directions. Let me give you an example.
Smartphones are great technology but they are created, designed and programmed
by the young for the young. What comes easily to us is alien technology for
elders who have had to deal with basic technology during their time.
A gong went off in my head and I realized my friend was
right and my point of view was skewed. I was looking at the entire problem as something
that our elders needed to adjust to. But why should they? We are making
technology that is so intuitive that kids manage to crack new tech much faster
than any of us do because their brains are wired towards learning and adapting.
So, why aren’t we creating technology that is intuitive to elders?
Elders face unique challenges because they are from an age where technology was
simple—just the turn of a knob or the press of a button. Why should we expect
them to adapt to new tech or remember to upgrade? Why should we expect them to
feel embarrassed about their frail voices that are not easily audible or their
hearing which is not as sharp as it used to be? Why should we expect them to
concentrate so hard so that their trembling fingers hit the right buttons,
learn to double click at the right speed or press a button for the correct
amount of time so that the options pop up?
Why should we expect them to remember
all these things plus the fact that the entire surface of the phone is now responsive
so they should be careful where they keep their fingers? Why should we expect
them to cope with feeling helpless and dependent on intimidating technology because
not all elders can figure out how to use all the functions that their
smartphones are equipped with?
Curious, I looked this up and there are smartphones with
large buttons, easy-to-read fonts, SOS buttons, photo contacts, sound
amplification and even keys for volume, flashlight, camera and reminders. There
are also apps that simplify the user experience for the elders, as well tweaks
in settings that can make it easier to use a smartphone. How many of us have
thought about looking for technology like this to make life easier for our
elders?
Hopefully I’m in the minority because I sure hadn’t. Can we go a step
further and create apps designed to give the elders step-by-step audio-video
instructions on how to use each function on their smartphones and tablets? In a
language of their choice? Does such helpful programming already exist and if
yes, can we have more people aware about it? For example, I recently came
across special cutlery designed for those with hand tremors and marvelled at
the thoughtful idea.
Do we have more such tech? More hacks? Can we share and talk
more about this, please?
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