The present study aimed to explore the potential relationship between individual differences in responses to failures with digital technology. In total, 630 participants (50% male) aged between 18-68 years (M = 41.41, SD = 14.18) completed an online questionnaire. This included a self-report, response to failures in digital technology scale, a measure of Fear of Missing Out, Internet addiction, and the BIG-5 personality traits. Fear of Missing Out, Internet addiction, extraversion, and neuroticism all served as significant positive predictors for maladaptive responses to failures in digital technology. Agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness acted as significant negative predictors for maladaptive responses to failures in digital technology. The responses to failures in digital technology scale presented good internal reliability, with items loading onto four key factors, these being; 'maladaptive responses', 'adaptive responses', 'external support and venting frustrations', and 'anger and resignation'. The findings are discussed in the context of the end user experience, particularly where individual differences are seen to influence the level of frustration arising from a failure. The findings are also seen as a potential route for reducing the negative impact of failures in digital technology, particularly in the context of organisational productivity and responses to malicious cyberattacks.

Background: People with visual impairments can experience numerous challenges navigating unfamiliar environments. Systems that operate as prenavigation tools can assist such individuals. This mixed‐methods study examined the effectiveness of an interactive audio‐tactile map tool on the process of cognitive mapping and recall, among people who were blind or had visual impairments. The tool was developed with the involvement of visually impaired individuals who additionally provided further feedback throughout this research.Methods: A mixed‐methods experimental design was employed. Fourteen participants were allocated to either an experimental group who were exposed to an audio‐tactile map, or a control group exposed to a verbally annotated tactile map. After five minutes’ exposure, multiple‐choice questions examined participants’ recall of the spatial and navigational content. Subsequent semi‐structured interviews were conducted to examine their views surrounding the study and the product.Results: The experimental condition had significantly better overall recall than the control group and higher average scores in all four areas examined by the questions. The interviews suggested that the interactive component offered individuals the freedom to learn the map in several ways and did not restrict them to a sequential and linear approach to learning.Conclusion: Assistive technology can reduce challenges faced by people with visual impairments, and the flexible learning approach offered by the audio‐tactile map may be of particular value. Future researchers and assistive technology developers may wish to explore this further.

Background: The older population of Europe is increasing and there has been a corresponding increase in long term care costs. This project sought to promote active ageing by delivering tasks via a tablet computer to participants aged 65–80 with mild cognitive impairment.