Abstract
In aged- and information society, there are emergent calls for user-centered designs of Information Technology (IT)- based artifacts for older adults. However, it is still not understood how people learn to use novel IT-based equipments, especially in daily lives. Based on the hypothesis that the learning and usage of novel equipments are socially supported by people around the user, a series of research were executed about mobile-phones usages by older adults. The questionnaire with 297 older adults revealed that people living with only spouse used mobile-phones less than people living with a lot of family members, but also showed that solitary people used most effectively. The long-term usability testing by new users revealed that participants living with grandchildren and solitary participants used mobile-phones better than participants living with only spouse, with various indexes. The process how social supports by family members facilitate learning of novel artifacts will be discussed.
