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Computer proficiency questionnaire: assessing low and high computer proficient seniors.

ABSTRACT: Computers and the Internet have the potential to enrich the lives of seniors and aid in the performance of important tasks required for independent living. A prerequisite for reaping these benefits is having the skills needed to use these systems, which is highly dependent on proper training. One prerequisite for efficient and effective training is being able to gauge current levels of proficiency. We developed a new measure (the Computer Proficiency Questionnaire, or CPQ) to measure computer proficiency in the domains of computer basics, printing, communication, Internet, calendaring software, and multimedia use. Our aim was to develop a measure appropriate for individuals with a wide range of proficiencies from noncomputer users to extremely skilled users.To assess the reliability and validity of the CPQ, a diverse sample of older adults, including 276 older adults with no or minimal computer experience, was recruited and asked to complete the CPQ.The CPQ demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's ? = .98), with subscale reliabilities ranging from .86 to .97. Age, computer use, and general technology use all predicted CPQ scores. Factor analysis revealed three main factors of proficiency related to Internet and e-mail use; communication and calendaring; and computer basics. Based on our findings, we also developed a short-form CPQ (CPQ-12) with similar properties but 21 fewer questions.The CPQ and CPQ-12 are useful tools to gauge computer proficiency for training and research purposes, even among low computer proficient older adults.

SUBMITTER: Boot WR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4542703 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Computer proficiency questionnaire: assessing low and high computer proficient seniors.

Boot Walter R WR Charness Neil N Czaja Sara J SJ Sharit Joseph J Rogers Wendy A WA Fisk Arthur D AD Mitzner Tracy T Lee Chin Chin CC Nair Sankaran S

The Gerontologist 20131009 3

<h4>Purpose of the study</h4>Computers and the Internet have the potential to enrich the lives of seniors and aid in the performance of important tasks required for independent living. A prerequisite for reaping these benefits is having the skills needed to use these systems, which is highly dependent on proper training. One prerequisite for efficient and effective training is being able to gauge current levels of proficiency. We developed a new measure (the Computer Proficiency Questionnaire, o ...[more]

PMID: 24107443

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Project description:IntroductionDespite the investment in public reporting for a number of healthcare settings, evidence indicates that consumers do not routinely use available data to select providers. This suggests that existing reports do not adequately incorporate recommendations for consumer-facing reports or web applications.MethodsHealthcentric Advisors and Brown University undertook a multi-phased approach to create a consumer-facing home health web application in Rhode Island. This included reviewing the evidence base review to identify design recommendations and then creating a paper prototype and wireframe. We performed qualitative research to iteratively test our proposed user interface with two user groups, home health consumers and hospital case managers, refining our design to create the final web application.ResultsTo test our prototype, we conducted two focus groups, with a total of 13 consumers, and 28 case manager interviews. Both user groups responded favorably to the prototype, with the majority commenting that they felt this type of tool would be useful. Case managers suggested revisions to ensure the application conformed to laws requiring Medicare patients to have the freedom to choose among providers and could be incorporated into hospital workflow. After incorporating changes and creating the wireframe, we conducted usability testing interviews with 14 home health consumers and six hospital case managers. We found that consumers needed prompting to navigate through the wireframe; they demonstrated confusion through both their words and body language. As a result, we modified the web application's sequence, navigation, and function to provide additional instructions and prompts.DiscussionAlthough we designed our web application for low literacy and low health literacy, using recommendations from the evidence base, we overestimated the extent to which older adults were familiar with using computers. Some of our key learnings and recommendations run counter to general web design principles, leading us to believe that such guidelines need to be adapted for this user group. As web applications proliferate, it is important to ensure those who are most vulnerable-who have the least knowledge and the lowest literacy, health literacy, and computer proficiency-can access, understand, and use them.ConclusionsIn order for the investment in public reporting to produce value, consumer-facing web applications need to be designed to address end users' unique strengths and limitations. Our findings may help others to build consumer-facing tools or technology targeted to a predominantly older population. We encourage others designing consumer-facing web technologies to critically evaluate their assumptions about user interface design, particularly if they are designing tools for older adults, and to test products with their end users.

Dataset Information

Computer proficiency questionnaire: assessing low and high computer proficient seniors.

Publications

Computer proficiency questionnaire: assessing low and high computer proficient seniors.

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