Elderly users represent a growing segment of the online population. There are more than 36 million senior citizens (people who are at least 65 years old) in the United States alone. By following a few simple rules of thumb, designers can make sites more accessible for the older demographic and as a result, more successful.
Physical Impairment
Many seniors have physical liabilities that make browsing more difficult. This could be anything from impaired vision to limited motor-control. There are several ways to reduce the likelihood of user error when browsing a site:
- Use large text. The default page font size should be 12 and sites should allow users to increase font size if they so desire.
- Use large buttons. Any clickable area ¬should be as large as possible.
- Avoid placing clickable areas too close together.
Technological Familiarity
Today’s seniors did not grow up with the internet and may not be as familiar with general web conventions as younger users. Designers should adopt a straightforward approach to ensure that elder users navigate without confusion:
- Hyperlinked text should be distinguished from regular text with underlines and a different text color.
- Visited and unvisited links should be distinguished with different colors.
- Elements like pull-down menus, expanding hierarchical menus, and any other navigational features that move should be avoided. These page elements are intuitive to younger users, but they require practice and some background knowledge to navigate successfully.