TechSAge Tools

TechSAge has designed this tool series to provide its readers with guides on how to conduct various aspects of human factors research. The tools have a focus on including the target population of older adults with disabilities. 

Task Analysis: This tool provides an overview of a variety of types of task analyses and a step-by-step guide to conducting hierarchical task analysis and offers guidance about using task analyses in the context of the TechSAge target population of adults aging with long-term disabilities.
Conducting Research with Adults Aging with Sensory and Mobility Disabilities: This tool provides an overview of how to incorporate persons who are aging with disabilities into research studies, by 1) discussing the importance and need for including persons with disabilities in research; 2) offering recommendations for accommodations 3) highlighting examples of research studies from TechSAge; and 4) pointing to useful resources.
Guidelines for Delivering Telewellness Programs to Older Adults with Disabilities: This tool provides guidelines for designing wellness classes delivered via video conferencing, or “telewellness” classes, for older adults with disabilities. It includes key considerations in the design and execution of telewellness programs, (e.g., software selection, safety, class organization and logistics, social time structure, and technical support), which are informed by our experience developing and conducting a Tele Tai Chi program as part of a clinical trial.
Design Iterations Tracking: This tool discusses strategies for successful iteration tracking for research and product development. Specifically, how designing for older adults with disabilities can slim down the iterations and increase usability. 
Heuristic Analysis: This tool is designed to give an overview of what a heuristic evaluation is, how to score it, and how to detect heuristic violations. Heuristic evaluations make the design of systems more usable, however, this tool goes further by suggesting additional accommodations to be made by designers who are developing or evaluating systems for older adults with disabilities is also discussed.
Personas for Designing for Individuals Aging with Mobility Impairment : This tool provides a set of 10 personas, suitable for classroom or instructional usage, which were developed to aid in the design of technology and environments for individuals aging with mobility impairment. Personas represent themes of real-life, everyday activity challenges among individuals in this population that emerged from an in-home study our team conducted. Each persona includes key contextual information about the fictional individual and a design challenge. For more information on the development of these personas,  read the technical report.