why we need silver surfers bill thompson
TRANSCRIPT
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
0
20
40
60
80
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120
JulyOctoberJanuary
April JulyOctoberFebruary
April JulyOctoberFebruary
April JulyOctoberFebruary
April JulyOctoberFebruary
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
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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