Datasheet

Jon Waddington
6
1 Introduction
The aim of this project is to design an information system which can provide home
control to the elderly and disabled to realise their wish to remain independent at home
while reducing health care costs [1].
Research has shown that 17% of all UK adults spend ‘all or nearly all’ of their leisure
time at home. This rises to 37% in people aged 65 and over and increases further with
people who have a disability, those aged 75 or over, and those living alone [2]. A study
has shown that people over the age of 65 spend about 25% of their time watching
television [3]. For this reason, their existing TV is an ideal choice to be used to display
the Information System’s graphical user interface.
It has been found that 15% of older people have used a mobile phone, the internet or
the red button of the remote control to interact with something they have seen on the
television [2]. This shows that older people can adapt to new and diverse ranges of
technology and should have no problem configuring the Information System.
The research also found that 40% of people aged 65 or over claim that they make an
effort to keep up with new technology, and 43% say they are interested in it. This
suggests that elderly people are not afraid of becoming accustomed to a new device.
Despite this, almost 70% of older people say that simple and straight forward technology
is favoured [2]. This is the reason that the Information System’s user interface is to be
made as simple as possible.
1.1 Aims and Objectives
The Information System will benefit the elderly and disabled by potentially providing
humanitarian and financial benefits of lowering the user’s reliance on personal
assistance, such as reducing care givers strain and lowering the costs of care [4].
The information system must have a simple graphical user interface with large text to
allow the visually impaired to use it with ease.
The Information System’s interface needs to be designed to be as user friendly as
possible. The menu must be kept simple without excessive or unnecessary menus. The
menu will be navigated by remote control, using just three buttons; up, down and enter.
This is likely to be a familiar environment for the user, due to the use of remote controls