Seminar:
Understanding and Empowering Older Adults:
Redesigning Technology for Enhanced Privacy, Usability, and Health Outcomes

ABSTRACT

The literature traditionally depicts a deficit-based narrative around older adults (individuals 65 years and older) and their technology use, suggesting that older adults are not capable of keeping up with their younger counterparts in adopting technologies. My work offers a different perspective, posing that the deficit lies in technology design, which is often not inclusive and fails to cater to older adults. By gaining a deeper understanding of older adults’ thinking mechanisms and their unique wants and needs, we can promote user-friendly technologies tailored to this demographic. We explore the nuances of older adults’ privacy decision-making and how these insights can inform more effective and inclusive technology design. Additionally, I will highlight how understanding older adults and their interactions with technology can lead to improved health outcomes, including the prediction of Alzheimer’s disease and enhancing their overall well-being.

Reza Anaraky

New York University

Reza Ghaiumy Anaraky is a postdoctoral researcher at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University. He earned his Ph.D. from Clemson University in 2022. His research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction, information privacy, and aging. Reza studies cognitive and heuristic aspects of privacy decisions, particularly how these decisions are influenced by age. Additionally, he investigates how technology use impacts the cognitive functioning and the overall well-being of older adults. Reza’s research has been recognized with several awards, including a Meta Fellowship, three best paper awards, an Innovative Research for Aging Award from Mather Institute, and Clemson’s Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award. Additionally, Reza contributed to grant narratives that resulted in over $700,000 in research funding.