Papers by Colette Nicolle
Human Technology: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Humans in ICT Environments, 2006
The European Social Fund-supported Portland Partnership project developed a computer-based virtua... more The European Social Fund-supported Portland Partnership project developed a computer-based virtual learning environment (VLE) to benefit students with cognitive and physical disabilities. This system provided students with access to a suite of software programs to teach them basic/essential skills needed for everyday life and to use information and communications technology (ICT). The VLE can be customized to meet individual students' needs by selecting an input device, adjusting its setting, or choosing a symbol set to ...
Designing a More Inclusive World, 2004
Ensuring that WWW pages are accessible and usable for people with complex communication needs pro... more Ensuring that WWW pages are accessible and usable for people with complex communication needs provides a particular challenge for WWW page designers. Despite advances in commercially available assistive technologies, people using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) comment on continuing difficulty and frustration in physical access to technology and subsequent reliance on non-disabled partners (Clarke et al., 2001 and 2002). The EU WWAAC (World Wide Augmentative and Alternative Communication) ...
Despite the growing body of research into older adults‟ use of technology and the Internet, littl... more Despite the growing body of research into older adults‟ use of technology and the Internet, little is known about their motivations for taking up these products and services. The overall image that emerges from the literature is negative: low self-efficacy beliefs, computer anxiety and usability issues, which exacerbated by the decline of abilities that occurs naturally with ageing, prevent older people from using unfamiliar interactive consumer products. However, there is evidence to suggest that older adults want to be able to use new technology in ...
The combination of current demographic trends, which see people living longer and in better healt... more The combination of current demographic trends, which see people living longer and in better health, and the increasing ubiquity of technology in modern life has encouraged research into making technology useful and usable by older adults. Older adults 'relationship with technology has traditionally been pessimistically portrayed, but recent evidence suggests that older people want to be able to interact with new technologies in order to remain active and engaged with society. Older adults are keen to make their own choices and do things ...
Two of the aims of WG13.1 are to coordinate and unite efforts to enhance the development of HCI c... more Two of the aims of WG13.1 are to coordinate and unite efforts to enhance the development of HCI curricula, and to recommend fundamental structures for curricula and course materials and for their adaptation to the various national educational systems. The principal aims of WG13.3 on Human-Computer Interaction and Disability are to make HCI designers aware of the special needs of
Gerontechnology, 2007
Abstract This article reports a study that explored user requirements for web-based interactive T... more Abstract This article reports a study that explored user requirements for web-based interactive TV (iTV) services from the perspective of older users. Members of a University of the Third Age (U3A) group were recruited for the study in order to explore the potential for web-based iTV to be used as a tool for mediating social communities. Focus groups and user trials were used to explore participants' reactions to the concept of web-based iTV and to identify barriers to use. The study found that the web-based iTV service offered in some ...
Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2011
A project, Transitions in Kitchen Living (TiKL) has been conducted to study kitchen histories and... more A project, Transitions in Kitchen Living (TiKL) has been conducted to study kitchen histories and current use by older people. A multidisciplinary team developed a common interview methodology to collect people's personal kitchen histories and their views on their current kitchen. Now and in the future ambient assistance and applied electronic technology might provide additional functionality to make kitchens easier to use for all ages. This paper relates some of these technical developments to user needs identified in the TiKL project and ...
Designing Accessible Technology, 2006
Designing Inclusive Interactions, 2010
This paper details work on the effect of physical context of use on inclusive product interaction... more This paper details work on the effect of physical context of use on inclusive product interaction. Context of use refers to a set of circumstances which relate to the users, tasks, equipment/tools and environment (both Physical and Social)(ISO, 1998). In particular, the physical context of use refers to factors such as lighting levels, temperature, weather conditions, vibration, noise, the built environment, etc.
The Internet is central to many in their work, study and leisure, and there is every expectation ... more The Internet is central to many in their work, study and leisure, and there is every expectation that the use of Internet services and related technologies will continue to grow. While this has the potential to present opportunities for people with complex communication needs, many people, using graphic-symbol based Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), experience significant difficulties using the text rich Internet environment, and report reliance upon nondisabled partners (Clarke et al., 2001 and 2002). The goal of the EU ...
Universal Access in the Information Society, 2013
This paper focuses on the effect an everyday cold temperature (5° C) can have on older adults (+ ... more This paper focuses on the effect an everyday cold temperature (5° C) can have on older adults (+ 65 years) dexterous capabilities and the implications for design. Fine finger capability, power and pinch grip were measured using objective performance measures. Ability to perform tasks using a mobile phone, stylus, touch screen and garden secateurs were also measured. All measures were performed in a climatic cold chamber regulated at 5° C and in a thermo-neutral environment regulated between 19° C-24° C. Participants ...
Universal Access in the Information Society, 2004
This paper provides an overview of the work of the European Union (EU) World Wide Augmentative an... more This paper provides an overview of the work of the European Union (EU) World Wide Augmentative and Alternative Communication (WWAAC) project, which aims to make the electronic highway more accessible to people with cognitive and communication impairments, in particular those persons using symbols instead of text to communicate. Many of these users will also be users of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) devices. The appropriateness of guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium ( ...
Interacting with Computers, 2005
Most people acknowledge that personal computers have enormously enhanced the autonomy and communi... more Most people acknowledge that personal computers have enormously enhanced the autonomy and communication capacity of people with special needs. The key factor for accessibility to these opportunities is the adequate design of the user interface which, consequently, has a high impact on the social lives of users with disabilities. The design of universally accessible interfaces has a positive effect over the socialisation of people with disabilities. People with sensory disabilities can profit from computers as a way of ...
Advances in Health Sciences Education, 2011
Over a period of a few weeks in the spring, the same article from the New Yorker (Lehrer 2010) wa... more Over a period of a few weeks in the spring, the same article from the New Yorker (Lehrer 2010) was sent to me by three different people. The article describes an interesting phenomenon, in which all sorts of scientific discoveries, ranging from a class of highly successful antipsychotic drugs to a psychological effect called ''verbal overshadowing'' initially show strong effects, but over time, with repeated observations, the effects drift downwards to the point that they no are no longer significant.
The Internet is central to many in their work, study and leisure, and there is every expectation ... more The Internet is central to many in their work, study and leisure, and there is every expectation that the use of Internet services and related technologies will continue to grow. While this has the potential to present opportunities for people with complex communication needs, many people, using graphic-symbol based Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), experience significant difficulties using the text rich Internet environment, and report reliance upon nondisabled partners (Clarke et al., 2001 and 2002). The goal of the EU ...
The user requirements have been reassessed in the light of the results from the collaborative eva... more The user requirements have been reassessed in the light of the results from the collaborative evaluations with other Transport Telematics Projects, as well as data and expertise gathered from the literature and other experts in the field. The user requirements identified are also the fundamental base for the development of different parts of the TELSCAN project. User requirements cover, of course, a multitude of different aspects, and to demonstrate how they have been integrated into the project's output, they have been ...
The aim of the TELSCAN Handbook is to raise awareness within the Advanced Transport Telematics (A... more The aim of the TELSCAN Handbook is to raise awareness within the Advanced Transport Telematics (ATT) design industries of the need to include elderly and disabled people in the design and evaluation process. Accessibility to systems for drivers and travellers should be considered early in the design process, just as much as other features such as the need for security, communications capabilities, and low maintenance costs (Nordic Cooperation on Disability, 1998).
The specific objective in WP04 activity 4.1 is to provide help to Telematic Application designers... more The specific objective in WP04 activity 4.1 is to provide help to Telematic Application designers to define and to complete assessment of the usability of systems with integration of potential users with disabilities or who are elderly. The first level of the assessment methodology framework is related to the definition of the users to be involved in the usability assessment. To this end TELSCAN proposed three indicators:• The mobility indicator• The problem indicator• The extent indicator These indicators have to be analysed and tailored ...
Internet services, such as Web browsing, email and discussion fora are central to many in their w... more Internet services, such as Web browsing, email and discussion fora are central to many in their work, study and leisure. There is every expectation that use of Internet services,(and related technologies), will expand. The growing emphasis on access to communication and information exchange between individuals and societies, across the globe, presents opportunities and barriers to those with communication disabilities and particularly for people who use graphic symbol based augmentative and alternative communication ( ...
The following report describes the results of evaluation activities carried out during the develo... more The following report describes the results of evaluation activities carried out during the development phase of the simulated web browser developed by the WWAAC project. The evaluations were conducted over a period of 6 months from April 2002 and consisted of three components:
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Papers by Colette Nicolle