As I started to look more into how I can incorporate Klondike Solitaire into my interventions, I came across “card sorting”. Card sorting is a UX research method which is a qualititative process. Study participants group individual labels written on notecards according to criteria that make sense to them. Thus I decided to go ahead with that, In UX card is mostly used to create information architecture with the participants labelling items to be put into various categories to help understand what goes under what.
This intervention had 4 participants, as I was not able to track down everyone for an in person intervention. I decided to change it up a little, as not everyone is aware of UX Design terms, I decided to create 35 cards with different interface terms and their definitions to make it easier for the participants to understand, and made 5 categories ranging from “least important” to “most important”, this was my approach to a more technical intervention after my more casual elements of art intervention. This activity in my opinion is very user centred, and teached the participants about UX terms while still being a fun activity, it also made me nail down and see which concepts of design where important for the users, and way that they catergorize these terms, it also proved a way to incorporate Klondike Solitaire principles into my intervention, as the main basis of the game is to sort cards.
As I started to think more about where I could see more about my research question I thought about the word “Digital Literacy”, when I first started out with this project I was focused on another group itself, which was the illterate, and I feel throughout the progress of this project, the aim remains the same, which is focused around digital literacy, to know more about this I decided to look at artworks based around the same topic.
Studio A: Sydney-based Studio A supports professional development pathways for artists living with intellectual disability. In 2022, 2 of Studio A’s artists – Thom Roberts, and Catherine McGuiness – were finalists in Australia’s most prestigious portrait prize, the Archibald. As a champion of “digital fluency”, Studio A in collaboration with Meeum is determined to remove the “geekery superiority” associated with technology – and has a clear message for other arts organisations looking to replicate Studio A’s success. “The Digital Strategist-in-Residence program proves that tech and digital is for everyone.”
Thom Roberts with his painting A Portriff of Adam (Shane Simpson AM) hanging in the 2021 Archibald Prize. Photo: Studio A, which aims to make people look through a different lense, and look at digital literacy witth a different lense.
Another work which I looked at was not an artwork but an experiment, Teaching Digital Literacy in the Context of AI Text-to-Art Generators by Neil Dixon, AI text-to-art generators democratize the creation of images and art. To generate an image, the user simply enters a text string that describes the content of the image, along with the style, resolution, and features. Softwares include, DALL E, Midjourney, Stable diffusion. To be better-informed about the role of AI text-to-art generators in society, digital literacy can promote consideration of the technology’s risks, capabilities, and limitations. Digital literacy means a person has sufficient knowledge and education to operate in the digital world, These technologies and their relationships are so complex that the way they function is outside most people’s understanding—we can only evaluate AI on the outputs it creates. Providing time to experiment with the technology is another way to develop or enhance digital literacy. We can improve our understanding of the capabilities and limitations, which means we can see the technology from the perspectives of artists, legislators, or developers.
As I started to look more into how I can incorporate Klondike Solitaire into my interventions, I came across “card sorting”. Card sorting is a UX research method which is a qualititative process. Study participants group individual labels written on notecards according to criteria that make sense to them.
This method uncovers how the target audience’s domain knowledge is structured. It also can be a quantitative process as The main quantitative data output from a card sort is a set of similarity scores that measures the similarity of how users grouped their sets of information. If all users sorted two cards into the same pile, then the two items represented by the cards would have 100% similarity. If half the users placed two cards together and half placed them in separate piles, those two items would have a 50% similarity score.
In short in Klondike Solitaire, you aim to sort a deck of cards by using attention, strategy, and memory: Seven piles of cards are in the middle of the table, the tableau, with each top card revealed. The goal is to assemble 13 cards of a suit, in ascending sequence from ace through king, on top of a pile.
In both cases, there’s an element of organizing cards. In Klondike solitaire, you organize cards into piles based on suits and ranks. In card sorting, participants organize cards into categories based on their own criteria. Solitaire often requires recognizing patterns and sequences to move cards effectively. Similarly, card sorting involves participants recognizing patterns and relationships between items to group them logically.
I had heard the term Silver Surfers, but I was too brainwashed by marvel that I forgot about it and started thinking about the Fantastic 4 Villian/Hero Silver Surfer. “Silver surfers” is a term commonly used to refer to older adults, typically aged 50 and above, who are active users of the internet, particularly for browsing, communication, and various online activities. The term is often used to highlight the contrast between the traditional image of surfers as young individuals riding waves on the ocean and the older generation embracing technology and the digital age.
As I researched more about designing for this age range, I came across A 2017 Forbes article states that 96% of baby boomers (aged 56-74 years) use search engines regularly, with 92% using the internet to buy products and services online rather than in-store. Making up a third of the population in the UK, the over 50s are a huge market for businesses. Whilst Google remains the dominant player in the search engine sector, Bing is often overlooked by business owners who predominantly focus on Google. Bing accounts for 10% of all UK searches and this statistic has continually grown over recent years. The over 50s age category is extremely valuable for businesses. Whilst they shouldn’t be overlooked, there are a few trends to consider when planning marketing for this age group 1) Use of Bing. 2) Eliminate bias in customer personas. 3) Site Security is essential. 4) Change writing in ecommerce pages for over 50s.
Another Article I looked at was “Silver Surfers & eTourism: Web Usability and Testing Methods for the Generation 50+” by the Management Center Innsbruck, Austria. The thing that interested me most about this article was that, they has used very out of the ordinary testing methods, almost like MAAI interventions, instead of using extremely technical methods. Such as “Thinking Aloud” and “Retrospective Review”. For the method of “Thinking Aloud” test-subjects are urged to speak their thoughts out loud, which allows for insights into the personal thoughts of a person, and therefore insights into their thinking processes. The “Retrospective Review” or “Retrospective Think Aloud” is a method that collects the thoughts on the task of the user after this task is over. According to Nielsen (2000) a Usability Test does not need more than five participants to give accurate results. Hence a tester user-group consisting og ten Silver Surfers is adequate when it comes to usability testing.
Articles Mentioned:
Five Things You Need To Know About Marketing To Baby Boomers:
The elements of art are fundamental components that artists use to create visual works. These elements include line, shape, form, color, value, texture, and space. The elements of art and principles of art are fundamental concepts in design that can greatly enhance the user experience and aesthetics of digital products.
The intervention that I decided to do ahead from this was to make table worksheets, which has the elements of art lined up with the principles of art, and give the participants freedom to do whatever they want with it, as some of them might find it a little hard I gave them 2 references. I also mixed up a few elements from it, and put in some principles that are more inclined towards UX design. The methodology behind this activity was to get the participants who are older adults, do a fun activity while still keeping the element of art in mind, and letting them run their imagination wild. While not everyone understood this activity, it did not stop them from trying their best to do it. The main aim I had with this activity was to cultivate creativity, while I gave people vague instructions, it did not stop them from asking clear instructions on what to do. By understanding how artists use elements and principles in innovative ways, individuals can draw inspiration for their own creative endeavors. Elements and principles of art are often reflective of cultural values, norms, and beliefs, as I tested this activity with older adults in India, two of them began drawing Mehendi Patterns (Mehndi is a form of temporary skin decoration using a paste created with henna). for the activity, while still keeping the principles in mind,
Imposters – Neighbourhood kids wanted to join in the fun
On researching more about the apps that are used by the 55 – 70 age range, I stumbled upon Klondike Solitaire, and what makes it so special that a very huge population of this age range plays this particular video game. There have been various studies with this particular game in mind, as Solitaire can be used as an assessment tool for cognitive impairment, and digital biomarkers can be derived from the game play. By using ‘meaningful play’, games older adults already enjoy and play, adherence will be better compared to other serious games. This works as a neuropsychological tool, an unobtrusive way of monitoring the patient’s psyche, giving them better insight in their cognitive profile. As I started to think about the way that this information can be used in my question, I started looking at the different ways this game is being used to study older adults, with respect to interfaces.
I looked at a paper by the International Conference on Web-Based Learning, which talks about “Designing a User-Friendly Educational Game for Older Adults”. To identify the ergonomic requirements to be considered during the interface design process to ensure that the game be adapted to the characteristics of seniors. It shows a high degree of satisfaction with game navigation, the display mode and gameplay equipment. Recommendations are presented to guide the development of online educational games for seniors.
There were many findings from this study, that could be taken forward when thinking about the design of interfaces such as: 1) To make a game environment intuitive for seniors, designers should ensure that players can easily access all components (cards, navigation buttons, instructions/tutorials and score) needed for the game to run smoothly. 2) To facilitate navigation within the game, the game elements and question content should be limited to one screen page. 3) It is also important to minimize the use of superimposed windows during the course of a game. Because some older users are less likely to notice page changes, 4) Game equipment, such as a laptop, tablet, keyboard, or joystick, must be used with some constraints to make them comfortable for seniors, 5) integrated buttons with words and symbols to make it easier for seniors who were not born in the digital age. 6) Avoid player confusion, organize gameplay information into zones and reduce as much as possible the number of controls necessary to accomplish a task.
What do you feel is the role of accessibility in UX Design?
Preksha – UX being the user centered field it is, it definitely makes a huge change in the possibilities of solutions. Research can only reveal so much about the target group of a product. But when you have a community of designers from numerous fields to discuss the problem statements, new perspectives are discovered.
Poorva – Accessibility in UX can be in terms of assisting people with disabilities in using certain products/services. As a UX designer, it’s important to consider a broader demographic but keep in mind that niche audience while designing. Essentially, fit in all potential users in different contexts of use.
How do you feel about the current state of UX and UI in apps and webpages?
Preksha – These solutions are designed for the greater masses- a lot of who may not be from the same background. Just the way it needs to cater to users of such varied backgrounds only makes it more challenging and interesting a problem to solve. Some of the elements that spoil my experience of them would be- i) the flashy buttons, ii) the animated labels and just how information is all over the place and not structured in a way that is similar to how I may skim through the screen at first go iii) poor loading pages and their speed, iv) use of pixelated images in a lot of places v) the steps involved in completing tasks in certain scenarios vi) sometimes, if i enter information in some forms (multiple pages) on these sites and go back to the previous page, I end up losing information (which I dont with services like Google Forms). That makes me spend more time on the site for the same task.
Poorva – I dont feel that any of these sites were designed to also cater to people with mental disabilities or sensitivity to flashy or hyper animated web elements. Functionality wise, they’re solving it. But when a product looks better, you trust it more. It’s a psychological thing. Too much information is an added issue.
How do vou think we can make the UX better for such groups?
Preksha – A good start could be to categorize these groups well and begin researching how these various user groups approach the web services (what devices they use, what environment and distractions they have to handle while using these services, etc) and analyse their behavior patterns. Ofcourse the solution for each group may be wildly different from each other, but the key here should be to keep things as simple as possible.
Poorva – These groups need be: 1. Categorized, relevant and contextual information only, Need to know why they should be using the product altogether (come from a mindset of unawareness/not willing to deviate from the usual sources), 2. Assistance in steps (online assistant/ a live chat or conversation feature will help)
My first question is what do you feel is the role of accessibility in UX design? in terms for inclusivity for different age groups? Are they easily usable by all?
I think in in this question it would help to understand what you’re considering as accessibility or what factors of accessibility. Accessibility means easier to be used by all groups, the question we need to ask is can a product or service be used by everybody? It often has a target user audience where we know that we can’t necessarily make something absolute for every person on earth to to be able to use because we all have different abilities, lived, experiences, ways of knowing and making sense of the world around us. Are we talking about accessibility or the role of universal design and user experience? So that may be something to consider as you kind of pursue this, setting a standard for a minimum threshold of usability and feasibility to within a digital or physical product, object service environment, etc.
The term user experience design was only coined in 1993 by Don Norman from Apple, about 30 years of user experience design and what that means, it was cultivated in tech. So looking at the principles of what what creates a user experience, what are the factors or the elements, and how do we go about designing that so inherently. We want to start from a place of inquiry, so it’s an inquiry led approach where as designers are researchers, we need to move beyond our individual opinions, assumptions, personal experiences and follow a human centred design practise that allows the people for whom we seek to serve through our design allow them to to guide us and help us uncover insights.
I think as a discipline for being a relatively young discipline, again getting its foundation in the early 90s has come a long way in terms of building out a truly interdisciplinary space that you know is grounded in industrial design at its core. We know that starting from from Apple and and Don Norman. So having that industrial design sort of foundation.
Do they facilitate groups such as senior citizens, illiterate and those who are new to this tech? What do you feel about the 55+ age range?
What a senior citizen’s experience may be with an app or web page. It it depends on a variety of design decisions and factors. Who was it made for? Was it made for people who are novice and don’t have previous experience or is it made for people who already understand these systems and interfaces? Or does it cater to a range of users?
You know the demographic of 55 as a senior, it’s kind of had a really interesting point. When we look at when the advent of the Internet came about and some of these technologies where at 55, I don’t know if it’s a foreign a practise as it might have been even 10 years ago. There are so many components in our everyday life that required the use of mobile. Apps, phones and and technologies, for example, travel for London TfL underground. It’s kind of changed the the demographic in terms of seeing your citizens even pre pandemic. What they’re comfort and ability might have been an understanding intuitively how to use these apps or you know having the creative confidence to make mistakes, figure it out and know that in a lot of apps you can kind of start over or go back or try something. Again many apps.
How do you feel about Facebook’s interface? As that is an app frequented by this age range. How can we make User Experience better for this group?
In Facebook I the distinction being Facebook for mobile app users versus Facebook Web page users. I think that’s an important distinction because they are somewhat different. And so Facebook being a mobile platform, an accessible via app. The questions one might ask: But I think if you can really focus your attention, you know, are there, you know, how are these senior citizens in India using it? Are they using it to stay connected with their friends? Are they? are these folks who are still actively in the workplace? Are these, you know, senior citizens who are? Maybe we’re tired? Are they active but retired, or are they active and somewhat isolated? Are they using this as a primary source of socialising? Is it where they get their news and information? Where you can focus in terms of understanding, accessibility, inclusivity.
You know target audience in a situational context for specific purpose and really let them tell you what they need. I can, you know, point to the guidance of frameworks and things that based on the insights that you’ll get. To see this focused on a specific need. For example, one case study that we look at in the BA user experience design programme here is on, you know, the NHS, the UK NHS site, how it’s it follows web accessibility guidelines, it has clear navigation tools.
I tested my first intervention with one of the audience members from my target group which is adults aged 55+, the first intervention was just based around getting intial thoughts of the user about normal everyday interfaces that one might stumble upon, picked from the mobile apps used by the stats which show the type of apps used by adults aged 55+
While this intervention did give me some insights into the type of interfaces that might be preferred by this audience group as I asked them to give me an explanation about why they prefer one over the other, it also made me realise that it doesnt specifically point out the issues of these interfaces and might have, thus I decided to try another set up, which made users choose the same type of design in different layouts.
With this type of interface, there might be issues, as the person might just end up choosing the one which looks easier, rather than the one that might be better functionality wise. As the project progressed I have now decided to look at these from another perspective, which was via using principles of Art in design. Each question of the intervention tackles one of the principles of art, namely as Balance, Proportion, Contrast, Emphasis, Unity, Movement, & Harmony.
As I started to look more into places where I could see more divergence of art and UX design I started looking at literature such as books.
“Universal Principles of Design” by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler: This book covers 125 design principles, including many that apply to both art and UI design. It explores concepts such as balance, contrast, harmony, and proportion, offering practical examples and applications in different design fields. The books explains 5 questions and answers them with the help of different design and art concepts. The 2 questions which jumped out to me most where I coukd find some convergence surrounding my research question where, 1. How can I enchance the usability of a design? and 2. How can I make people learn from a design?
How can I enchance the usability of a design?
80/20 Rule – All elements in a design are not created equaL Use the 80/20 rule to assess the value of elements, target areas for redesign and optimization, and focus resources efficiently.
Consistency – According to the principle of consistency, systems are more usable and learnable when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. Consistency enables people to efficiently transfer knowledge to new contexts, learn new things quickly, and focus attention on the relevant aspects of a task.
Fibonacci Sequence – A Fibonacci sequence is a sequence of numbers. Patterns exhibiting the sequence are commonly found in natural forms, such as the petals of flowers, spirals of galaxies, and bones in the human hand. Patterns based on the Fibonacci sequence are intrinsically aesthetic and, therefore, worthy of consideration in design.
Golden Ratio – The golden ratio is found throughout nature, art, and architecture. Such as in Pinecones, seashells, and the human body, used by Piet Mondrian and Leonardo da Vinci. It results in a more fundamental, subconscious aesthetic preference.
How can I make people from a design?
Advance Organizer – An instructional technique that helps people understand new information ill terms of what they already know. Advance organizers are brief chunks of information- spoken, written, or lIlustratedpresented prior to new material to help facilitate learning and understanding.
Chunking – A technique of combining many units of information into a limited number of units or chunks, so that the information is easier to process and remember. By breaking a 10 word list into multiple, smaller chunks, results in recall performance that is essentially equivalent to the single list of five words.
Mental Model – People understand and interact with systems and environments based on mental representations developed from experience. Design with people’s interaction models in mind.
