When you think of augmented reality, you perhaps think of the various games that have proven hugely popular.  Such games are often aimed at younger people, but research from the University of Bath suggests that this overlooks the older demographic, who could benefit as much, if not more, from the technology.

The study suggests that adults aged over 50 were more likely to be successful at using AR when they were provided with instructions and support that were specifically targeted at their age group.  This is a problem, as the researchers believe that this demographic is often overlooked by designers.

“We can’t expect people to benefit from AR technology if they can’t follow the prompts shown to them,” they say.  “A lot more thought needs to go into understanding what older adults need from augmented reality, so users in this group understand the prompts they’re given straight away.”

Overlooked demographic

The study saw volunteers asked to perform a range of common tasks in AR, including lifting, moving, and lowering 3D objects.  They were provided four different types of visual instructions on their laptop to help them.

Of the different types of instruction, the “ghosthand” was the most popular, and this approach also resulted in the best task completion rate as well.  The volunteers given this form of instruction were around twice as fast at completing the task, while also being twice as accurate, as their peers.

The other three methods of instruction – an arrow, a transparent ghost of the object and a pulsating transparent ghost – seemed to result in confusion among participants, which made them less effective at completing the task.

“Though AR technology has great potential for improving the lives of older adults, this user group is rarely considered the target for AR development,” the researchers say. “I think this is the first study to investigate the accessibility of AR technology to older users.”

Helping the elderly

The paper outlines a number of possible benefits AR technology can bring to the elderly, including helping them to understand what life might be like with dementia, improving assessments of fall-prevention modifications to homes, and training to boost spatial awareness skills.

“Activities of daily living that we take for granted can be more difficult for people with dementia, and AR prompting could make a big difference for them if designed appropriately,” they say.

For that to happen, however, designers need to do a better job of engaging with and understanding older users.  The authors highlight how developers can often focus excessively on things such as aesthetics rather than usability, especially for groups like older users who may not find AR as intuitive as more tech-savvy groups.

The technology is certainly gaining in popularity in a wide range of sectors, and none more so than in healthcare.  The researchers believe in the years ahead it will become an integral part of our daily lives.

“We’ll be using AR for everything from fixing our own washing machines to deciding whether we’re better off catching the bus from bus stop 1 or 2 as we’re walking down the street,” they conclude.