CREATE - Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement

GT Faculty: Tracy Mitzner (presenter), Dan Fisk, Wendy Rogers,

GT Students: Anne Adams, Cara Bailey, Jenay Beer, John Burnett,  Ralph Cullen,  Sara McBride,  Katherine Olson,  Cory-Ann Smarr

The interdisciplinary and cross-university Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) is a consortium of the University of Miami (UM), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), and Florida State University (FSU). It is a multidisciplinary (psychology and engineering), collaborative Center, funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging), dedicated to solving problems of aging and computer technology use.

Information technology is becoming integral to work, education and daily living. More than half of all households in the United States have personal computers and other forms of technology that are commonly used in the performance of routine tasks.

To function independently, people of all ages must learn to assimilate technology into their daily lives.

This presents a challenge for many older people as they are less likely to have had previous exposure to technology. Also, their interface needs have largely been ignored by system designers.

To make technology available and useable, to people of all ages and abilities, is a serious challenge for the research community. We must find answers to the following questions.

• Why do some people, particularly older adults, have difficulty integrating technology into their daily lives?
• How can we best design the interface, between users and technological devices?
• What are the best methods to teach people to use and take advantage of available technologies?