When I started looking into digital literacy among older adults, I thought the easiest way to find out where the problems are would be to simply ask people. So, taking some previous feedback into account, I spoke to around ten older people and asked questions like: What do you struggle with when using technology? What was easier back in the day? Is there anything you’d like to get better at?
(Not) to my surprise, I didn’t get many useful answers.
Most people either said they didn’t really have any problems or found it difficult to explain what exactly they struggled with. Thinking about it afterwards, that actually makes a lot of sense. Many issues only appear while someone is actively using a device or trying to complete a task. Once the moment has passed, it can be hard to remember what happened.
Because of that, I started wondering if directly asking people about their problems is even the best approach. Maybe observing people while they use technology would show much more than interviews alone. Since I didn’t get many concrete insights from those conversations, I started asking colleagues and friends about their experiences with parents, grandparents and other older relatives. Almost everyone had some kind of story. It became clear that many younger people end up being the unofficial tech support person in their family.
Interview Results
One thing that stood out was how important familiarity seems to be. One colleague told me that their mother shops online all the time and actually prefers doing it on her phone rather than on a computer. For me that sounded a little backwards, since a larger screen and analoge input usually feels easier to navigate. But because she’s used to her phone, that’s simply the device she feels most comfortable with.
Another interesting example was someone working as a secretary. They use digital tools all day long at work, manage documents, handle bookings and deal with various systems without any issues. But when it comes to doing similar things in their private life, like booking a flight for themselves, they would rather avoid it. At work there is always a process, a colleague or someone responsible for helping. At home, that safety net isn’t there. It made me think that confidence might also sometimes be a bigger factor than actual technical skills.
Some observations weren’t really about technology itself but about how people communicate online. Multiple colleagues mentioned that their parents or grandparents completely ignore grammar, punctuation and spelling when sending text messages. As some young people do as well. The goal seems to be getting the message across rather than worrying about how it looks.
Trust was another topic that appeared again and again. Several people mentioned that their parents or grandparents still prefer traditional banking methods. Instead of making a transfer online, they would rather fill out a paper form at the bank. Whether that’s actually safer isn’t really the point. The important thing is that it feels safer and more understandable to them.
Communication preferences also seem to differ quite a bit. According to several people, older adults often prefer calling someone instead of sending an email or a message. A phone call gives immediate feedback. You know the other person received the information and understood it. With emails or messages, there’s always a bit more uncertainty.
One thing I found particularly interesting was the role curiosity seems to play. People who are naturally curious often continue exploring technology regardless of their age. They click around, try things out and aren’t afraid of making mistakes. Others seem much less interested in learning something new, not necessarily because it’s difficult, but because they don’t see enough value in putting in the effort.
At this point, these are still just observations rather than real conclusions. But they already change some of my assumptions. Maybe the issue isn’t simply that digital products are too complicated. Familiarity, confidence, trust, habits, motivation and curiosity all seem to have a huge influence on how people interact with technology.
For the next step, I think it would be much more useful to actually observe people while they perform digital tasks instead of only asking them about their experiences afterwards. I also already have a direction I would like to go to.
