IT Skills of Young and Older People: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Both younger and older people have different ways of using and interacting with technical devices (smartphones, laptops and tablets). This study compares both user groups and explores how the technical aids are used in everyday life, what barriers exist and how technical problems are handled. In July and August 2021, 20 semi-structured interviews with young and old people were conducted and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results show that young people continue to use smartphones more frequently than the older participants and that smartphone functions such as making phone calls are more important for the older participants. Older people prefer a personal support by family members when technical problems occur, whereas the younger study participants favour the more impersonal option via hotlines etc. Finally, it seems to be useful to involve older people in the development process of new technologies, so that the applications can be designed to be as user-friendly as possible.