Granny gets smarter but Junior hardly notices

To ensure that university computing students are sensitized to the needs of diverse user groups, a course project was designed to allow students to get a realistic understanding of the needs and abilities of the older mobile phone user. Over a three year period different student cohorts interviewed these users to assess their experience with mobile phones. It was found that students were generally dismissive of the cognitive abilities of the older mobile phone user. However the yearly snapshot revealed that the older user’s abilities improved year on year. Being prepared to understand all user groups is an essential skill that should be acquired by future interface designers.