Final Statement on Seniors and Technology

It seems that what needs to be done is to take somewhat of a marketing approach to this project. In particular, I think it might be useful to implement segmentation when looking at the possible audience of any technology help/resource center. 

From my experiences, there seem to be at least three major profiles that need to be addressed: the DIY user, the respectfully curious, and the non-user.

The DIY user is the type that I met most often at the senior center. They use technology to their own satisfaction. When they need to learn something, they learn it on their own through experimentation or targeted help-seeking (i.e., search Google for solutions rather than ask around or call tech support). To best support these users, centers should have technology available as well as product guides/manuals. I suspect that a DIY user would refer to a product manual if it is available in the same room as the technology, but they might not go asking for it at a centralized desk. This way, they can learn on their own either through experimentation or grabbing a manual and walking through the steps for using a particular piece of software. The most common complaint that I heard from these users was that the technology available at the senior centers is a bit outdated and slow.

The respectfully curious are the users that realize the potential available with digital technologies, but they are wary of experimentation. They have learned certain skills (such as checking email or buying things online), but they are hesitant to try new things out of the fear that they could somehow break something or make a mistake. It seems that this type of user would most benefit from classes or guided lessons. That being said, I've heard that technology classes at the senior centers are not well-attended, so there may be other ways to facilitate learning with these users.

Finally, the non-users are a diverse group. In STS, the non-user category is one that has been studied significantly, and most scholars advocate for further segmentation of this group. Often, this segmentation notes non-users that cannot access a technology, cannot afford a technology, have no use for a technology, or who willfully abstain from a technology. Though it seems that seniors who are non-users are often characterized as the last category-- willfully abstaining from a technology-- I suspect that they would consider themselves as non-users who have no use for the technology. One thing that is clear about new media/digital technology is that every function it offers was previously accomplished by other means, and nearly all of those other means are still available today. 

Though we know that certain things are moving toward the digital-only realm (an important one being medical records), we should be cautious about trying to orient a program entirely toward those who don't think they need it. It is important to anticipate a time when such a program will need to accommodate these non-users, but even then, the accommodation should be very targeted. For example, if non-users start running into the problem that their medical records are only accessible online, the program will need to provide help for that specific issue. It would be very discouraging to ask, "How can I find my medical records online?" and receive the answer, "Well, first, you need to take this basic computing class." Instead, if they are shown how to retrieve that information, it is much more likely that they might begin to see uses for the technology and move into the respectfully curious category.