Modeling visual attention for rule-based usability simulations of elderly citizen

Designing systems for the special interests and needs of older user has become an important subject. However, necessary usability evaluations are time and resource consuming. One way of automation lies in simulating UI use. Since substantial sensory and cognitive age-related effects on the human visual system have been observed, mechanisms of Visual Attention (VA) are promising candidates for simulating GUI interactions specific for older users. This article discusses VA mechanisms relevant for simulating age-related effects in GUI interactions. An integration of such mechanisms is discussed on basis of the MeMo workbench, a rule-based approach that uses UI interaction simulations for uncovering usability problems. In the end, simulation of GUI interactions cannot replace human-based usability evaluation, but can provide early feedback for GUI designs, reducing time and resource demands for evaluations. In that, VA provides an instrumental framework for considering age-related effects in simulations of GUI interactions by older users.