Available products have screens that are too small and volumes that are too low. The icons are baffling and hard to remember – especially for someone whose memory has had better days. The volume buttons are too easy to knock. Shaky or unsteady fingers are always creeping over the edge and accidentally changing settings or running unwanted apps. Most of all, the text is tiny – usually to make room for those icons. There are simply too many options. Menus were never part of Gran’s home telephone, so why does she need menus now?
Portability is great in theory. In practice, it results in lost, misplaced and dropped devices. Devices that are taken to rooms where Wi-Fi is poor and ringing can’t be heard.
Most manufacturers cram seniors tablets full of features. Features that Grandma probably doesn’t need, such as email, weather maps and texting. Most 80-year-olds want one thing more than anything else: Staying connected, face-to-face, with family and friends… and perhaps, if it’s extremely easy, to see and talk about photos of their grandkids.
A survey of the elderly showed that 80% are willing to try video calling. How hard can it be?
Seniors struggle to use these seniors tablets, and end up feeling frustrated.