Age, Luminance, and Print Legibility in Homes, Offices, and Public Places

Field studies were conducted in homes, offices, and public places with younger and older adults to determine how legibility performance (in a proofreading and phone book search) changes with age and luminance. Homes and public places generally exhibited much lower than recommended luminance values for reading. Older adults had higher light levels in their homes than did younger adults at reading locations. Older adults performed less quickly than did younger adults on most legibility tasks. Adding light helped younger and older adults equally for most legibility tasks (in homes and public places), though increased luminance differentially improved the performance of older office workers. In response to feedback about low light levels, nearly 60% of building managers in public places indicated in a 6-month follow-up that they had improved lighting or were planning to do so. Actual or potential applications of this work include setting luminance guidelines for adults and identifying barriers to lighting changes.