Design of Age-Inclusive Tangible User Interfaces Using Image-Schematic Metaphors

Tangible user interfaces (TUIs) often employ innovative interaction technologies especially older adults are usually unfamiliar with. In most cases, this growing population has less prior knowledge of technology and fewer cognitive resources than younger adults. Consequently, inadequately designed user interfaces often constrain older adults' interactions. Image-schematic metaphors (ISM) allow a direct mapping of abstract, intangible concepts (e.g., INTEREST RATES) to physical correlates (e.g., VERTICALITY) that are grounded in humans' very basic mental representations and are expressed in discourse ("Interest rates rose last year."). ISM have already been explored as guidance for the design of intuitive TUIs, but whether one of their major promises-age-inclusiveness-holds true is largely an open research question. Therefore, the aim of this Ph.D. is to examine and draw on the potential of ISM theory for the design of TUIs independent of users' technological knowledge and cognitive resources.