HelpCall: Designing Informal Technology Assistance for Older Adults via Videoconferencing

Document Title

HelpCall: Designing Informal Technology Assistance for Older Adults via Videoconferencing

Document Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction, Technology Assistance for Older Adults, Remote Technical Support
• Keywords: Older Adults, Videoconferencing, Synchronous Support, Informal Technology Assistance, Software Learning, User Research, Accessibility Design, Assistive Technology, User Interface, Learning Tools

Research Background and Issues

• Problems or Challenges:

  • Older users rely on family members to resolve technical issues via videoconferencing tools (e.g., Zoom, Skype), but existing tools lack features specifically designed for learning and interaction in such scenarios.
  • Older users often perceive themselves as “slow learners” and feel uncomfortable asking repetitive questions, which reduces their willingness to seek help.
  • Commercial and academic solutions are predominantly designed for asynchronous scenarios, with limited focus on synchronous assistance and learning needs.

• Significance:

  • Learning technology is crucial for improving older users' independence, social participation, and quality of life.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote technical support, highlighting the need for more effective tools.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • Existing videoconferencing tools perform poorly in terms of communication efficiency and learning experience, while other solutions (e.g., interactive step-by-step tutorials) lack support for synchronous assistance scenarios.
  • There is a need to explore intuitive and low-cognitive-load methods to improve older adults' experiences with technical support.

Solution

• Proposed Solution:

  • Develop "HelpCall," a synchronous technical support platform based on videoconferencing tools, incorporating visualized step-by-step guidance (Augmented Steps Display, ASD) and two main design candidates (Tooltip and List).
  • Provide synchronous voice communication (basic communication channel) and auxiliary features (screen sharing, dual mouse pointers, click highlighting, etc.).
  • Introduce automatically generated step-by-step guidance to help users understand and replicate technical operations.

• Innovations:

  1. Combination of Synchronous Support and Independent Review: HelpCall not only assists in task completion but also supports subsequent repeated learning with real-time generated visualized steps.
  2. Real-Time Step-by-Step Guidance: ASD captures the helper's operations in real time and translates them into sequential, intuitive instructions tailored to the user's device.
  3. Dual Cursor and Visual Effects: Enhances older users' understanding of remote instructions and reduces cognitive load.

• Implementation Steps and Key Technologies:

  • Two design iterations: Developed two ASD candidates (Tooltip and List) based on literature review and expert feedback.
  • Provided interactive prototypes for user testing and validated design concepts through simulated real-world scenarios.
  • Implemented core features (screen sharing, dual mouse pointers, automatic step display, etc.) and evaluated their effectiveness.

Research Findings

• Specific Outcomes:

  • All participants reported that HelpCall improved their learning experience, reduced psychological pressure, and increased task completion efficiency.
  • The Tooltip design was more successful in terms of user acceptance and experimental performance, providing direction for design improvements.
  • Dual pointer display and real-time step recording were widely appreciated by older users.

• Comparison with Existing Solutions:

  • HelpCall focuses more on the learning needs and device-specific requirements of older users, overcoming the limitations of asynchronous systems in addressing specific scenarios.
  • Compared to traditional videoconferencing systems, it reduces misunderstandings and difficulties in executing instructions.

• Experiment and Evaluation Results:

  • Error Rate: The error rate using Zoom was significantly higher than with HelpCall (Zoom: 20%, HelpCall: 4%-8%).
  • User Preferences: Nine users preferred the Tooltip mode, three favored the List mode, and the rest had no clear preference.
  • Momentum Effect: Users preferred to first observe demonstrations and then review the steps, emphasizing the importance of real-time generation features.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations:
    1. The current sample primarily consisted of older adults with relatively high technical proficiency, leaving out those with lower technical skills.
    2. The experimental environment had limited simulation of real-world remote assistance scenarios.
  • Future Directions:
    1. Improve the automatic step generation algorithm and enhance compatibility with multi-view interfaces.
    2. Integrate the advantages of Tooltip and List to balance the needs of novice learners and experienced users.
    3. Expand to other collaborative and contextual scenarios, including hardware-related tasks and learning contexts beyond technical support.

Discussion and Insights

• Dynamically adjust guidance modes (Tooltip vs. List) based on task difficulty and user proficiency.
• Prioritize simplicity in design, minimizing features unrelated to user goals.
• Optimize system features for different types of helpers (family members, technical support personnel), such as enabling less experienced helpers to participate effectively.