Copyright © 2019. Copyright of this paper is the property of the author(s). Permission is granted to reproduce copies of the works for purposes relevant to the IASDR conference, provided that the author(s), source and copyright notice are included on each copy. For other uses, please contact the author(s). Manchester School of Art Manchester Metropolitan University 02-05 September 2019 International Association of Societies of Design Research Conference 2019 DESIGN REVOLUTIONS A framework to understanding factors that influence designing for older people Gudur, Raghavendra Reddy* a a University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia * raghavendra.gudur@canberra.edu.au There is a considerable amount of research literature that is focused on the importance of inclusive design. There is a steady increase in research that is also focused on understanding how to design for older people. However, most of the research available focuses on ageing as a variable in understanding patterns of technology usage, preferences and difficulties. What is more necessary is research that explains why the age differences occur. For this reason, it is essential to investigate mediating factors such as cognitive abilities and experience. In this paper, we did an extensive literature review to understand various factors that explain why age differences occur and how these factors are interrelated. Based on which we propose a framework that will help other researchers and designers to provide a quick map to investigate inclusive design problems. Keywords: older people; cognitive ageing; inclusive design; 1 Introduction Research suggests that many older adults have difficulty using contemporary consumer products due to their complexity both in terms of functionality and interface design. Moreover, studies have found a strong correlation between age and the time taken to use modern electronic devices (Lewis, Langdon, and Clarkson 2007, Reddy, Blackler, and Popovic 2018). Use of technological products in older users is a complex issue mediated by technology prior knowledge, cognitive capabilities, sensorimotor function, technology anxiety, perceived technology self-efficacy and socio-demographic factors (Czaja et al. 2006). This paper discusses several of these important factors of ageing that influence use of technological products in older adults and to understand interdepended nature of these issues. The objective of this study is to provide a framework for both researchers and designers to help address problems related to design for ageing population. 2 Sensorimotor function and ageing Ageing progressively impairs various cognitive skills and sensory-motor abilities. Some abilities decline more markedly than others, and some may remain intact till the late 70s (Mynatt, Essa, and Rogers 2000, Salthouse 2010). This decline is not constant and varies widely between individuals (Gregor, Newell, and Zajicek 2000, Czaja and Lee 2007). Baltes and Lindenberger (1997) found a strong correlation between visual acuity, auditory pure tone