I consequently decided to hold a focus group at my granddads social centre, which have weekly computer sessions to improve their awareness with the computers and the internet. All the members of the focus group were not very computer literate, but knew how to perform basic web browsing tasks. They all acknowledged the invaluable use of the internet, but also stated that even though small and light laptops were available on the market, they would not purchase one because of a range of issues.
The focus group brought forward the need for a lightweight laptop, but which had a sufficiently sizeable screen for elderly individuals with poor eyesight so that they would not have to strain their eyes, and a keyboard sufficiently large enough so that people with arthritis would not hit more than 1 button at once. This results in a paradox, a laptop with a large keyboard and screen, yet small so that it is easily transportable.
After a discussion and brainstorming event within the group, the overall consensus came to an
idea of a compact laptop mirroring the size of a standard mobile phone. The small device would have the capabilities of a projectable keyboard, which is already widely available on the market, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2000/dot_life/2326077.stm. The device would also incorporate a projectable screen, the advancements into such a small projector would be a debatable issue to whether it is currently technological viable.
1 comment:
Was your grandad having a session at the old folks home Bling? You should have told me and Phinder!
Anyway, the major reason behind the elderly not buying light laptops is simply price. They are overpriced and the majority of people cannot afford them.
If your idea was to be implemented, we would have to ensure R&D costs weren't too high, otherwise the product would cost too much.
In the technology world I tend to find the smaller the product, the more it costs. This is because good things come in small packages. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Blings small package ;-)
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