Effect of large character size on productivity of the elderly in a character detection task

In this study, a comparison has been made between the effect of two different character sizes on a character detection task: the normal size of 4 millimeters and a larger one of 8 millimeters. It was hypothesized that due to the normal decline of vision with age, elderly workers using video display terminals could improve their productivity if they used a larger character size on the computer screen. Thirty unpaid subjects volunteered to participate in the experiment. The comparison measured the subjects' average speed, accuracy, and error under both conditions. These paired responses were then analyzed by computing their differences. The results obtained show that there was no significant difference between the normal character size and the large character size for speed and accuracy. However, there was a significant increase in the number of false hits when the normal character size was used. Character size is an important consideration when using computer screens. The results of this study suggest that more research is needed on human factors involved in character size design for the elderly population.