**3. Results**

#### **3.1 Think aloud and digital content extraction**

#### *3.1.1 Think aloud protocol*

Ten OAs, five female and five male, who had English as their primary language, participated in Think Aloud sessions. All of them had access to basic technology such as landline, internet and smartphones. Their median age was 64.7. Eight were fully or partially retired and two were working professionals. OAs were delighted to talk about the apps they use on a regular basis. For instance, the first participant, a retired Civil Engineer, talked about his experience with SmartTools<sup>6</sup> app. He said that SmartTools is his favourite app because he can perform basic civil engineering tasks using this simple and easy to use interface showing the tools. The tools include ruler, protractor, level, thread, range-finder, compass, metal detector, sound meter, vibrometer, flashlight, magnifier, mirror and unit converter. He was pleased about the real-world metaphor of 'Cupboard' used in this app. Also, he said that the labels used in the app are self-explanatory. On the other hand, he did not like using a budget airline app. He said the initial waiting time, excessive number of advertisements, hectic process to book a flight, small text size, icons without labels, and long and technical terms and conditions make him reluctant to use this app. He stated that this app does not cater for OAs and gave an example of a issue in the form completion section. The salutations, Mr, Mrs, need to be tapped for successful

<sup>6</sup> **Smart Tools:** http://androidboy1.blogspot.com/2015/12/smart-tools-v20.html

submission of the form, but there is no indication to select them. Also, they are represented in dull colours, reducing their importance in the eyes of the user. An array of recommendations given by this participant was collected such as "video based tutorials in the app to enable the user to become familiar with the app". Similarly, the analysis of data collected from other participants helped to generate recommendations.
