As sons and daughters, how can we help our parents make better use of new technology products?

In the field of Human Interaction and User Experience, there is a specific direction of Elderly Accessibility that investigates how to improve the user experience of the elderly when using products.

However, most of the electronic products or new technologies on the market today are not yet sufficiently focused and optimized in this area. For example, my parents, who have been using computers and smartphones for a long time, are still often at a loss when it comes to simple operations such as saving email attachments to the computer or importing phone photos to the computer. In fact, even young and middle-aged people, not to mention seniors, can be confused by the latest technology products or applications.

To help seniors make better use of new technology products, I think we can consider the following.

1) Choose products that really meet the needs and interests of the elderly, so that the elderly will be willing to use them for a long time and become familiar with their operation.

2) As far as possible, choose products that support the elderly mode, such as cell phones for the elderly, with simple functions and operation steps, and clear and eye-catching buttons and instructions for foolproof operation. For some complex products, choose the compact mode, and record common operations with screenshots for easy reference by the elderly.

3) Products that support remote collaboration, such as today’s smart home products, allow children to observe and control devices remotely through their cell phones, without the need for direct operation by elderly parents, reducing their fear of using new products.

4) The rise of artificial intelligence and the popularity of smart homes will gradually improve the experience of the elderly using the products, the elderly can use voice, vision, gestures, touch, behavior and other ways of operation they are accustomed to use the products, rather than clumsily fumbling with the keyboard and mouse.