Designing for Seniors

D E S I G N I N G F O R S E N I O R S
B A B Y B O O M E R S , A N D B E Y O N D

E R I C K S O N L I V I N G H A S 2 0
C O M M U N I T I E S I N 1 1 S T A T E S A N D
G R O W I N G . O U R C O M M U N I T I E S
A V E R A G E 2 5 0 0 R E S I D E N T S , A N D
P R O V I D E F U L L R A N G E O F C A R E .
O U R R E S I D E N T S L E A D A C T I V E L I V E S
A N D M A N Y H A V E A S T R O N G I N T E R E S T
I N T E C H N O L O G Y . O U R R E S I D E N T S
A C T I V E L Y U S E T H E W E B , M O B I L E , A N D
C O N N E C T E D D E V I C E S .

T H E W E B I S F U N D A M E N T A L L Y
D E S I G N E D T O W O R K F O R A L L P E O P L E ,
W H A T E V E R T H E I R H A R D W A R E ,
S O F T W A R E , L A N G U A G E , C U L T U R E ,
L O C A T I O N , O R P H Y S I C A L O R M E N T A L
A B I L I T Y . W H E N T H E W E B M E E T S T H I S
G O A L , I T I S A C C E S S I B L E T O P E O P L E
W I T H
A D I V E R S E R A N G E O F H E A R I N G ,
M O V E M E N T , S I G H T , A N D
C O G N I T I V E A B I L I T Y .
https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility

W H Y W O R R Y
A B O U T
S E N I O R S ?

• In 2002, more than 27% of the population was over 50.
• By 2020 it will be over 35%.
• The size of the 50+ population will more than double in the next 35
years.
• A baby boomer turns 60 every 7.5 seconds.
• There are now more more Americans age 65 and older than anytime in
US history.
• 8 million boomers spend more than 20 hours a week online.
• 1/3 of all online and social media users.
http://plus50.aacc.nche.edu/employers/popualation/Pages/default.aspx

• Those aged 50 and older
spend nearly $7 billion
per year online.
• They use the internet as
their primary means of
comparison shopping for
major purchases
http://www.marketingcharts.com/uncategorized/baby-boomers-control-70-of-us-disposable-income-22891/

• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans
ages 50-64 are now smartphone owners
(a 16-percentage-point increase compared
with 2015)
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/12/evolution-of-technology/

According to the US Census Bureau, nearly one in five
people in the U.S. have a disability. That number increases
with age.
Seniors in the oldest age group, 80 and older, are eight
times more likely to have a disability than those in the
youngest age group.
Many senior users experience age-related impairments
that affect how they interact with a website, including:
ISSUES
W3C® Web Accessibility Initiative, “Web Accessibility and Older People: Meeting the Needs of Aging Web Users”,
https://www.w3.org/WAI/older-users/>, updated October 18, 2010.

• Vision—Reduced contrast, sensitivity, color
perception, and near-focus issues can make it difficult
to read a web page.
ISSUES

• Physical—Reduced dexterity and fine motor skills may
affect the ability to use a mouse or click a small target
• Make clickable areas clear, easy to see, and make
them larger.
• Make sure your keyboard functionality is good.
• Test your interface with voice input.
• Keep navigation clear, consistent, and shallow.
ISSUES

• Hearing—Seniors may find it difficult to hear higher
pitched sounds or distinguish between sounds,
particularly if there’s background music.
• Test the clarity and volume of videos or podcasts
• If you use audio for directions or instructions, test
with a variety of users.
ISSUES

• Cognitive—Reduced short-term memory can limit the ability
to follow navigation and complete online tasks, such as
filling out a form.
• Seniors tend to be concerned about privacy. Keep
forms simple and be very clear about what happens
when the form is submitted.
• Keep navigation simple and clear. Shallow is better.
Too many layers and clicks can be confusing and
frustrating. Make each click clear and rewarding.
ISSUES

Older people may have some disabilities,
but being older isn’t a disability.

S O M E F I N D I N G S
• Seniors who are retired professionals are on the
higher side of online adoption.
90% go online and 82% have broadband.
• At age 75, internet usage drops off dramatically.
Adult children often fill the gap for this group,
researching on their behalf.
• Online often. 70% are online every day.

• Social Media is big with this group.
Facebook is the most used channel.
• Usability is crucial with this group and simpler
interfaces are best. Ability to complete tasks is driven
by ease of use.
• Clarity of terms and services
is critical for those beginning research.

• If you retired in the last 7 years, you still probably
used the internet in your professional life in some
capacity for at least 10 years. It’s silly to think it’s
something this audience just discovered.

K N O W W H E R E
T H E Y A R E

Watch the screens along with the audience

Be aware of the content that is important to them

O U R
P R E V I O U S
S I T E D E S I G N
W A S S O L I D ,
B U T T H E
L A Y O U T W A S
D E N S E A N D
H A R D E R T O
B R O W S E .

M E N U S W E R E
T R I G G E R E D O N C L I C K ,
N O T O N H O V E R .

T H E P R E V I O U S
S I T E H A D A M O R E
D E N S E L A Y O U T
A N D L A R G E
B A C K G R O U N D
I M A G E S T H A T
S L O W E D P A G E
P E R F O R M A N C E .

P A G E A R E A S
A R E L A R G E A N D
K E E P T H E
F O C U S O N O N L Y
A F E W O P T I O N S
A T A T I M E T O
R E D U C E
C O G N I T I V E
L O A D .

C A L L S T O
A C T I O N W E R E
K E P T L A R G E A N D
E A S Y T O R E A D .
C O N T E N T A R E A S
W E R E G R O U P E D
T O M A K E T H E M
E A S Y T O F I N D
F O R S P E C I F I C
A U D I E N C E S .
T H E F O O T E R
I S F U L L O F
U S E F U L
L I N K S .

V I D E O C A N B E A V E R Y
E F F E C T I V E W A Y T O
C O M M U N I C A T E . M A K E
S U R E I T ’ S A C C E S S I B L E
A N D A V O I D A U T O - P L A Y .

T O P A N D L E F T
N A V I G A T I O N S T A Y
F I X E D A N D
A V A I L A B L E . T H E
L E F T N A V I G A T I O N
F E A T U R E S A N C H O R
L I N K S T H A T S C R O L L
C O N T E N T T O T H E
U S E R , R E D U C I N G
T H E N E E D T O
S C R O L L .

I M P O R T A N T C O N T E N T
T H A T S T A T S T E L L U S
U S E R S W A N T I S K E P T
C L E A R A N D S U P P O R T E D
W I T H P H O T O S A N D
V I D E O S . C A L L S T O
A C T I O N A R E C L E A R .

L A R G E C O N T E N T
B L O C K S W I T H
C L E A R I M A G E S ,
M A K E C O N T E N T
E A S Y T O E X P L O R E

L A R G E
C A L L O U T S
T H A T U S E
T H E A C T I O N
C O L O R S

An example of an
email newsletter the
Tribune team
created to promote
their content. The
design mirrors the
site design and
features easy to
explore content.

T E S T I N G
C H A L L E N G E S

• Less confident, moderation is really important
• 45% less likely to try alternative
• Twice as likely to abandon task
• Gives up 30 seconds sooner
• Blames self 90% of the time
• 50% keep cheat sheets
• Often have banner blindness
• Remember it’s not a monolithic audience
• 50-65, pretty capable, After 65, challenges increase
• Don’t forget to test the adult children
Issues we see when testing with seniors

• Litmus - test the preview of email in major clients.
• Browserstack - Test the display of pages in browsers.
• Eloqua - A/B test subject lines. Will be replaced with Pardot
in 2018. Pardot may replace our Litmus testing also.
• Focus Groups - We do live testing and review several times
year with seniors and adult children.
• Anecdotal - With family and friends, just ask for feedback.
HOW WE TEST

Litmus screen. We review and test every email, including A/B testing
of subject lines and content.

Optimizely screen. We try to do continuous testing
of our content, UI, and UX

Example of some of the early test results while developing the new site

W H A T
W E ’ V E
L E A R N E D

• Know your user, invest in personas, data, and
focus groups
• Accommodate, don’t patronize
• Be intentional, clear, and focused
• Limit the number of choices available at any one time
• Use contrast, use reversed fonts sparingly
• Watch the subtle color differences
• Watch small fonts, bold helps at small sizes
• Watch the industry terms and acronyms
• With forms be clear about what happens on submit.
Shorter is better.
• Don’t assume that because you get it, they will.

• Make the navigation simple, shallow
• Use familiar terms
• Keep navigation options available
• Keep the control with the user
• Give them lots of information, be transparent with
things like pricing, avoid sales pitches
• What’s good for accessibility is good for seniors
• SEO is really important, lots of our audience start
with a search
• Links are good, as long as they are clearly links,
and there is a clear expectation.
• These people are doctors, lawyers, teachers,
executives, parents. Remember it and respect
them.

https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility
I T I S E S S E N T I A L T H A T T H E W E B B E
A C C E S S I B L E I N O R D E R T O P R O V I D E
E Q U A L A C C E S S A N D E Q U A L
O P P O R T U N I T Y T O P E O P L E W I T H
D I V E R S E A B I L I T I E S . I N D E E D , T H E
U . N . C O N V E N T I O N O N T H E R I G H T S O F
P E R S O N S W I T H D I S A B I L I T I E S
R E C O G N I Z E S A C C E S S T O
I N F O R M A T I O N A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S
T E C H N O L O G I E S , I N C L U D I N G T H E W E B ,
A S A B A S I C H U M A N R I G H T .

T H A N K S !
M I K E . H I L L 2 @ E R I C K S O N . C O M
M H I L L @ H I L L U S T R A T I O N . C O M
T W I T T E R
@ H I L L A R T S

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