Abstract

Web S te Des gn for People w th Dement a
browsers to follow the same hypertext links and visit the same Web pages repeatedly
while performing a single task (Mead et al., 1999).
Older adults have been found to have difficulty recalling previous actions and the
locations of previously viewed information (Mead et al., 1999). However, the recency
effect appears to be less impaired in people with dementia, which may mean
that they are able to remember the last few actions (Morris, 1994). Therefore, there
may be a design solution to help people with dementia to navigate successfully
through a Web site.
Support.and.Training
Sutcliffe et al. (2003) have highlighted the importance of training and assistance for
people with cognitive problems, and Hawthorn (2000) has suggested that successful
learning for older users will involve a lot of practice.
Designers should be producing Web sites that will be used by people in the early
stages of dementia independently; however, it is important to remember that dementia
is a progressive disease. As the condition progresses, people may find that
they need support from carers or others to use computers successfully.
Many of the problems encountered by people with cognitive disorders, in a study by
Sutcliffe et al. (2003), were caused by learning difficulties associated with standard
computer operations such as mouse movement or cursor selection. An interesting area
of research would be the training and support needs of people with dementia.
Appropriate. Research. Methods
When working with people with dementia, appropriate research methodologies are
vital. Both in the area of dementia care and in dementia research, a more personcentred
approach to working with people with dementia has been adopted (Kitwood,
1997). How this person-centred approach can be incorporated into user-centred
design and research methodologies will be discussed.
A.Person-Centred.Approach
Once people have a diagnosis of dementia, assumptions are often made that they do
not have views about their care, and are unable to express their own history (Allen,
Newby, & Kennally, 2003). It is now recognised that many people experiencing
mild symptoms of dementia are aware of their condition, but in the past, there had
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