CREATE

	What is CREATE?		Who is CREATE?
	CREATE is the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement.  CREATE is conducting projects that focus on aspects of human interaction with technology.		CREATE represents a consortium of three universities, each with its own research team: The University of Miami, Florida State University and Georgia Institute of Technology. <more>

Information technology is becoming integral to work, education and daily living. More than half of all households in the United States have personal computers and other forms of technology that are commonly used in the performance of routine tasks.

To function independently, people of all ages must learn to assimilate technology into their daily lives.

This presents a challenge for many older people as they are less likely to have had previous exposure to technology. Also, their interface needs have largely been ignored by system designers.

To make technology available and useable, to people of all ages and abilities, is a serious challenge for the research community. We must find answers to the following questions.

• Why do some people, particularly older adults, have difficulty integrating technology into their daily lives?
• How can we best design the interface, between users and technological devices?
• What are the best methods to teach people to use and take advantage of available technologies?

Goals of CREATE

• Enhance the usefulness and usability of technology
• Establish knowledge base on technology
  • Needs
  • Preferences
  • Patterns of use
  • Problems with existing systems
  • Design solutions
• Expand research on aging and technology

The National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute on Aging, has funded The Center For Research & Education on Aging & Technology Enhancement (CREATE).

The center is gathering information on users needs and preferences; determining problems with existing systems; and, exploring the efficacy of potential design solutions.

A major goal is to insure that the results are disseminated to system designers and implemented in a wide variety of settings.