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Senior-friendly Site Design
Posted: 7/31/2012
Recently, NPR announced a report on seniors using the Web in record numbers. This got us thinking about how web sites might need to evolve with the influx of older users. Design itself is the key. Font sizes are a natural first step, and overall simplicity is important. But since many of these older users have little to no experience with the web at all, here are some helpful tips in making your site accessible to seniors (and everyone, really). Avoid PDFs: Seniors are less likely to download items than younger users, so making information available only via PDF will hinder an older user’s ability to get what they need. If you must include a PDF, be sure it is clearly labeled as a download. Clean Up Your Layout: This definitely helps all users. Sometimes we get too close to our own business and want to show off everything we can do all at once. But this can cause confusion to users. It’s best to keep things simple and create quality links to additional information. Links: Your links should be easy to see and easy to click. Avoid Distractions: Our mantra around here is “Just because you CAN do it doesn’t mean you SHOULD.” Just because you found a way to insert an animation or funky new font doesn’t mean you should. We promise it won’t only be seniors who are distracted or downright annoyed. Make it Memorable: Your site should make an impact on users; when they visit again, they should be comforted by familiar branding and colors. Change can be good, but your business’s basic design elements should be consistent. One thing on our side in all this is television. “We know that over the last decade, TV has sort of mimicked the web,” Todd Ross, Director of Business Development for Digital Active, says. Cable news networks, especially, have embraced the sidebar menu look–and even the cable and dish providers themselves have web-like menus with dropdown options. So, seniors who watch a lot of TV basically have been previewing the internet; their eyes have been trained to understand the layout. Whether you’re catering to older users or tweens, it’s important to consider usability. |
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