Why we need silver surfers

Bill Thompson

www.andfinally.com

Why me?

• Technology critic– Writer, pundit, journalist

• Tame geek– Professional programmer– Sysadmin, web developer

• Policy wonk– ippr, Demos, Work Foundation

Silver Surfers

• Award winners deserve praise– Shown what is possible– Inspired others– Made the world a better place

• All who wrestle with technology deserve praise too!– Good tools hide complexity– Good tools make learning possible– We do not have good tools

How many silver surfers?

• How many would you like?– Twenty million over 50s in UK– An aging population

• Net use growing in UK and elsewhere– From 2001/2 to 2003/4

• Use by adults 45-54 up 13 points to 63%• Use by adults 65+ up by 6 points to 15%

• A constant supply of novices

UK Net UseNet Use UK: source ONS

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May July

Date

Percent

16-24

25-44

45-54

55-64

65+ 1

More to come

• A billion net users around the world– Global network society– The next 5 billion

• Not yet time to give up helping the silver surfers

Making it work

• Today’s key technologies are unusable– We manage to extract some value from them– They get in the way of users– The learning curve is a vertical slope

• Older users complain– Too many of us simply suffer silently– Perhaps they have the right idea

• We cannot put up with this any more

BSOD

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We need accessible ICT

• There are too few young people– “Potential Support Ratio” for over 65s

• 1950 it was 12:1• 2000 it was 9:1• 2050 it will be 4:1

• Too few to go around– Even if they all wanted to help!

• We will have to do it for ourselves– Technology can support us

Assistive technologies

• Tools can make life easier– Practical tasks– Communication and social networks– Memory and forgetting

• Tools can make independence possible– Reminders and monitors– Contact and organisation– Mobility and motor skills

Some examples

• Microsoft Research’s Sensecam– Photos of your day– Used in rehabilitation after brain trauma

• Tagged pill boxes– Remind us when to take them

• Blogs and photo sharing– Keeping people in touch– Family photos– Sharing your world

Flickr

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Time for change

• We must demand more– Ease of use– Reliability– Simple interfaces for simple tasks– Security

• We must allow for learning– More complex modes for advanced users

Not just software

• Assistive interfaces– Alternatives to the keyboard– Tremor-cancelling trackballs– Voice command

• Turn technology to serve our real needs

From silver to gold

• Today’s winners have made a difference– Show that ICT is for everyone– Helped others

• Their experiences can inspire change– We need tools that are easier to use– We must not let technology be a barrier

• Time for tools that support our aspirations– Not ones that get in the way

Thank you