This document discusses design considerations for aging web users. It notes that the senior population is one of the fastest growing demographics online. Age-related physical limitations that can impact web use are explored, such as presbyopia, cataracts, reduced vision and hearing. Design best practices are recommended to address these limitations, like using larger text sizes and explicit labels. The document also covers age-related cognitive changes and emotional needs of seniors, emphasizing the importance of trust, empowerment and human connections in design.

1. T H E C H A N G I N G L A N D S C A P E O F W E B U S E R S :
H O W T O D E S I G N F O R A N A G I N G P O P U L AT I O N
UXPA 2015 - SAN DIEGO
L E A C U N I B E RT I - D U R A N A N D K RY S B L A C K W O O D

2. WHO ARE SENIORS/OLDER ADULTS?
• 65+ years old
• Live on a fixed income
• Average income per person: $21,000 from Social
Security and pensions

3. WHY DO WE WANT TO DESIGN
FOR SENIORS?

4. S E N I O R P O W E R !
• One of the fastest growing segments on the web
• 39M according to 2010 U.S. Census
• 10,000 Baby boomers retire everyday

5. O T H E R C O N S I D E R AT I O N S
• Designing for seniors will make your site accessible to pretty much
everybody else
• Implementing good practices: Older Adults are particularly effected by
poor usability standards
• Other populations may benefit from a senior-friendly design approach
• Low/impaired vision
• Little technological experience
• English learners

6. SENIORS AND
TECHNOLOGY

7. O L D E R A D U LT S O N L I N E
• 59% who are 65 or older go online
• 47% have broadband
• Once online it becomes a regular part of their lives
• 71% go online everyday
• 82% go online at least weekly

8. TOP MOTIVATIONS TO GO ONLINE
• 75% to stay in contact with family and friends
• 58% to shop online
• 53% to research about health care or medical issues
• 46% to look for bargains on products
• 40% to keep up with the community
• 17% to watch TV, shows, videos, etc.

9. I N T E R N E T U S A G E VA R I E S B Y A G E
• Seniors who use the internet and adopt technology
tend to be younger, more educated and affluent.
• Baby boomers
• Have at least some college
• Income above average ($30,000+)
• Live in an urban or suburban area

10. T E C H N O L O G Y
0
25
50
75
100
Cell Phone Desktop/laptop Smartphone Tablet
= Seniors over 65 yo
= All adults

11. T E C H N O L O G Y A D O P T I O N
• A substantial majority of seniors express trepidation
about using new digital tools or devices without
assistance
• Physical challenges play a role in technology adoption
• Less likely to go online
• Less likely to have broadband
• Less likely to own a smartphone

12. AT T I T U D E
• Attitudes toward technology differ based on age
• 60yo+ (Baby boomers)
• More apt at exploring
• 70yo+ (Greater Generation)
• Risk adverse

13. AGE-RELATED PHYSICAL
LIMITATIONS AND WEB USE

14. E F F E C T S O F A G I N G O N T H E E Y E
• Presbyopia (not being able to focus at close distance)
• Cataracts (yellowing of the lenses)
• Reduced pupil size (heightened sensitivity to glare, contrast,
low lighting ).
• Decreased color vision
• Loss of peripheral vision. (Glaucoma)
Most common conditions experienced by older adults

15. NORMAL VIEW

16. PRESBYOPIA (NO GLASSES)

17. PRESBYOPIA (BIFOCAL)
Lea

18. PRESBYOPIA (PROGRESSIVE)

19. LIMITED VISUAL FIELD

20. D E S I G N T I P : U S E A N I M AT I O N T O G U I D E
U S E R AT T E N T I O N

21. C ATA R A C T S ( Y E L L O W I N G O F
T H E L E N S E S )
Y E L L O W I S H A R D T O D E T E C T

22. O T H E R C O M M O N V I S U A L P E R C E P T I O N
D E F I C I T S
• Decreased ability to visually compare elements (what is the
same and what is different)
• Trouble decoding and recognizing icons

23. T I P : A D D E X P L I C I T L A B E L S

24. “Visual search is the common task of looking for
something in a cluttered visual environment. The item
that the observer is searching for is termed the target,
while non-target items are termed distractors. ”
V I S U A L S E A R C H

25. V I S U A L S E A R C H I N O L D E R A D U LT S
• Significant changes in eye tracking speed and
accuracy
• Reduced ability to detect changes in the visual stimuli
• Decline in peripheral vision

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

27. T Y P O G R A P H Y B E S T P R A C T I C E S F O R
O L D E R A D U LT S
• Font size: 16 px or greater
• Font weight should be at least regular
(avoid thin, light, etc)
• Contrasting font color
• Left align

28. T Y P O G R A P H Y B E S T P R A C T I C E S F O R
O L D E R A D U LT S
Typographical golden ratio:
Line Width = Font Size x Font Height

29. E F F E C T S O F A G I N G O N H E A R I N G
• Seniors have difficulties with:
• Filtering background sounds
• Loss of high pitch sounds
• Understanding fast speech
• Think about this! how many instructional videos currently on the
web have one or more of the characteristics listed here?

30. E F F E C T S O F A G I N G O N M O T O R
S K I L L S
• Lower dexterity
• Seniors look at keyboard while typing
TIP: avoid auto-populate
• Fitt’s Law is amplified: mice are hard to use

32. EFFECTS OF AGING ON COGNITION
• Reduced processing speed
• Greater tendency to be distracted
• Reduced capacity of their working memory
• Reduced confidence as they question their own
abilities and memory

33. EMOTIONAL NEEDS AND
CONNECTIONS

34. T I R E D O F “ S C A R E TA C T I C S ”
• They express a lot of fatigue around negative
messaging
• “Don’t tell me what to do, let me decide and help me
do it”
• Hungry for neutral and unbiased advice
• Encouragement, positive spin, inviting, empowerment
all good themes

35. T R U S T I S S U E S
• Lots of stories of people being taken advantage of
• Wary of the hard sell
• Suspicious of advertising: they know the cost gets
passed on to them.
• Read the fine print
• Often they have at least one story of having been
duped or bullied

36. T H E Y D O I T T H E I R WAY
• Frequently print pages and emails so they can review
them later
Tip: think about your print stylesheet and optimize for
readability
• Will read every word on a page
Tip: links in content/body
• Use their own terminology
Tip: make sure you aren’t using lingo

37. T R U S T B U T V E R I F Y
• 50% want to pick up the phone and talk to a human being.
50% want to get information emailed to them or online.
TIP: Have a prominent phone number in addition to online
exploration
• Very thorough about doing their homework
TIP: Provide meaningful content that brings value to the
user
• Whether online or on phone, they want a human
connection
TIP: Use imagery with people

38. “The computer has a language all its own and
sometimes I’m intimidated by it and I am right now.”

39. C A S E S T U D Y: B E S T
P R A C T I C E S I N A C T I O N

44. Q U E S T I O N S ?

45. T H A N K Y O U !
@lea_designer
lea.posta@gmail.com
@shodoshan
shodoshan@gmail.com