IDENTIFYING AND CHARACTERISING DIVERSITY OF THE OLDER CAR DRIVER

摘要

The active involvement of users has long been accepted as a critical factor in successful user centred design, and increasingly attention is being drawn to contextual and socio-technical requirements. In this study we focus on the needs of the population of older drivers. The number of older drivers has rapidly increased over the last thirty years and is predicted to continue to do so in the foreseeable future. The literature on older people shows them to have some reluctance to embrace advanced technologies unless this is well matched to their needs, however these needs are diverse. Before entering a design and development cycle, this study has explored the experiences, characteristics and needs of older drivers using a questionnaire and a number of focus groups. We further consider how to represent the characteristics and diversity of this group affecting design requirements.