Testing Social Media Advertisements for Animal Advocacy

We used the Mercy For Animals social media outreach budget to systematically estimate the efficacy of different advertisements on different demographic groups. Based on the click-through rates (CTR: the percentage of impressions resulting in clicks on ads), we observe:1. Animal-based advertisements are more than twice as effective as other types of advertisement, achieving a CTR over 3% compared to just 1.1-1.5% for environment, health, and social adverts.2. Females and older users were more likely to click adverts compared to males and younger users, respectively.3. Specific messages may outperform others within these broad themes. We find that pigs were the most effective animal advert (vs. cows, chickens, and fish), climate change was the most effective environment advert (vs. land use, water use, and deforestation), and chronic disease was the most effective health message (vs. obesity, pathogen contamination, and antibiotic contamination).The findings can be used to inform social media strategy for Mercy For Animals and the broader animal protection movement.

Using Different Error Handling Strategies to Facilitate Older Users’ Interaction With Chatbots in Learning Information and Communication Technologies

To support older users’ accessibility and learning of the prevalent information and communication technologies (ICTs), libraries, as informal learning institutes, are committed to information literacy education activities with friendly interfaces. Chatbots using Voice User Interfaces (VUIs) with natural and intuitive interactions have received growing research and practical attention; however, older users report regular frustrations and problems in using them. To serve as a basis for the subsequent design and development of an automated dialog mechanism in senior-friendly chatbots, a between-subject user experiment was conducted with 30 older adults divided into three groups. The preliminary findings on their interactions with the voice chatbots designed with different error handling strategies were reported. Participants’ behavioral patterns, performances, and the tactics they employed in interacting with the three types of chatbots were analyzed. The results of the study showed that the use of multiple error handling strategies is beneficial for older users to achieve effectiveness and satisfaction in human-robot interactions, and facilitate their attitude toward information technology. This study contributes empirical evidence in the genuine and pragmatic field of gerontechnology and expands upon voice chatbots research by exploring conversation errors in human-robot interactions that could be of further application in designing educational and living gerontechnology.

Interdisciplinary Team for MEDSReM-2 and Decision Support Through Pharmacology of Aging Principles

The interdisciplinary team members with distinct and complementary expertise working collaboratively to advance MEDSReM to MEDSReM-2 will be introduced. The decision support functionality in MEDSReM-2 application (app) is to guide older users on making decisions about missed doses. MEDSReM-2 medication formulary was created to include safe hypertension medications for older adults. Pharmacology of aging, including Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic principles, along with published studies and expert peer reviews, were used to create an algorithm for safe window of time to take the missed medications. We will present the processes for developing the decision support algorithm for the MEDSReM-2 App and how this guide will be communicated to the users to inform their decision making about missed doses. Interdisciplinary collaboration including pharmacy, nursing, cognitive aging, and technology development that was crucial for designing and implementing decision support within the MEDSReM-2 app for older users will be shared.

Comparison of CBD and Cannabis Use Motives

Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, has increasingly gained popularity as a cure-all product and is now found in products across a variety of industries. Despite the surge in popularity, little remains known about individual motives and patterns of CBD use. The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences between motives for CBD and cannabis use as well as comparing motives for younger and older users. Participants (N = 174) were recruited via Amazon MTurk and were asked to complete an anonymous survey assessing their CBD and cannabis use, effects, and motives for use. The greatest differences between self-reported CBD and cannabis use were for side-effect profiles. While the recreational use motive was more commonly endorsed for cannabis, use for beauty purposes was more common for CBD. No age group differences emerged for motives to use CBD or cannabis. Future research examining age-related differences in a larger, more age-diverse samples is recommended.

Usability Features to Improve Mobile Apps Acceptance among the Senior Citizens in Malaysia

Mobile apps are designed and specifically developed for a specific purpose. They are widely used nowadays as they benefit many users of different age groups, both the old and young. Although various apps caters to the different needs of the senior citizen users are available, there is a lack in understanding of how usability features of these apps influence the acceptance among the senior citizens. Though many of the existing studies proposed several features that may be beneficial to older users, it is unclear how these features promote the acceptance of mobile apps for older users in countries like Malaysia. Aiming to address this inadequacy, the current study investigate the needs, expectations, and usability features of several mobile apps that are relevant for the Malaysian senior citizen people, aged 65 years and above. The usability evaluation of the developed prototype was performed by using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Based on results of the evaluation, it was concluded that the inclusion of an elder-friendly usability feature can increase the acceptance of mobile apps among the senior citizens.

Online disinformation is greater risk for older users

Significance The growing numbers of senior citizens in the United States, their rapidly increasing adoption of social media and their high levels of voter turnout make their vulnerability to disinformation a matter of special concern. Other advanced democracies likely mirror the US experience. Impacts Older US adults' use of television as their primary news source may provide some bulwark against being targeted by disinformation online. The rapid evolution of news distribution technologies will challenge older adults used to a more slowly changing media landscape. Further research is necessary to determine the causes of age-based vulnerability and levels of resilience.

EXPLORING THE COMBINED USE OF SOLICITED DIARIES AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY OLDER PATIENTS IN THEIR PROCESS OF SELF-CARE WITH MEDICATION PACKAGING

Design has the potential to include or exclude people, depending on how user needs are translated into products. Design exclusion has been vast in design for health care. Medication packaging design is a common example. It does a good job of protecting the product but can result in creating difficulties when used, especially for those who are older. Research in this area lacks an inclusive and user-centered approach because potential users have been studied outside of their context of living and with methods that limit participation. The aim of this study was to explore the combined use of solicited diaries and photography to engage and include older users in gathering data and reflecting on their day-to-day experiences of using multiple medications and the medication packaging. Our findings show key learnings of using this combined method, as well as related methodological challenges, and provide recommendations to tackle these challenges. The use of solicited diaries with photographs taken by participants is deemed to be relevant in interdisciplinary fields of research and practice, where designers and other professionals aim to better understand the reality of older people and create meaning in their experiences of self-care.

The STAGE Platform: User Engagement of Older People Through Co-Design and Extended Access to Streamed Cultural Events

This paper illustrates the aim, concept and scope of the STAGE project as a complementary way of exploiting leisure. This is achieved through accessing cultural events for the benefit of older users in addition to the standard direct participation. Older users could not always avail such events within reach, due to several reasons – mobility and family problem, lacking infrastructure and transportation, affordability. Accessing cultural events via streaming is not an alternative or substitute of direct participation, but it is an additional way of attending that extends the audience, the range of selectable events – also internationally – and the participation options through time. Platform development was carried out with a significant and supportive user engagement of older people through the co-design methodology.