Users
Overview | Market segmentation | Personas | Product interaction | Capability losses | Tasks and goals
As the cycle of product interaction requires a combination of sensory, cognitive and motor capabilities, it is essential to realise that some people are fully able, while others may be less able in one or more of these capabilities.
Population statistics that consider multiple capability losses can only be calculated if they are generated from a single data set, which is why the statistics from the 1996/97 Disability Follow-up Survey are used throughout this toolkit. In this particular survey, user capabilities are grouped as follows
- Sensory capability includes vision and hearing
- Cognitive capability includes thinking and communication
- Motor capability includes locomotion, reach & stretch and dexterity
According to the definitions used in the Disability Follow-up Survey, 17.8 % of the UK adult population have less than full ability in one or more of these categories. See the User capabilities section for further information on these capabilities, and the precise definition of full ability used in the survey.
Understanding how capability loss occurs, and the relative prevalence of different losses enables the design of products or services that are accessible to the widest possible range of people.
Ability generally declines with age, although consideration of variation in ability is vital Source Figure source: Baltes PB and Lindenberger U (1997). Emergence of a powerful connection between cognitive functions across the adult life span: A new window to the study of cognitive aging? Psychology and aging v 12 no 1 p12-21. Copyright American Psychological Association. Adapted with permission
Intro | Categories | Users (6) | Environments | Scenarios | Business requirements (2)