Interactions - January/February 2009

As my grandparents have more trouble walk- me. They don’t stock the items that I want. Every ing, I wanted to get them cordless phones. Keep in now and then, I can find something “old school” on mind, they have never had cordless phones, nor eBay that will solve my problem. do they have cell phones. And they refuse to use Don’t tell my grandparents to “get with it.” They call waiting, because it’s simply considered rude are with it. Thank goodness, they are still talkative, to let someone else interrupt your call. Maybe it’s intellectual, and aware adults. They just don’t want a bit “old school,” but that’s who they are. Know to make changes to their TV or phone service. Why thy users, right? So I wanted to get simple cord- should they? Life is challenging enough when you less phones to let them keep a phone nearby. But I are close to 90 years old. Technology companies can’t find cordless phones that fit the bill. Cordless shouldn’t make life more challenging. phones now have too many features: The buttons are too small, the displays are too small to read,

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Jonathan Lazar is an
associate professor in the department of computer
and they don’t easily fit into the charger. Go to the
and information sciences at Towson University,
store and try to find a simple cordless phone. You
where he serves as head of the Computer
can’t. My grandparents couldn’t hold these small Information Systems undergraduate program and
phones. Or press the buttons.
is founder and director of the Universal Usability
Laboratory. His most recent authored book is Web Usability: A
It can be frustrating at times. I want to find solu-

User-Centered Design Approach, published by Addison-Wesley in tions for my grandparents. I want to make life eas-

2006, and his most recent edited book is Universal Usability, pub-
ier for them. I know conceptually how I could solve
lished by John Wiley and Sons in 2007.