Making your website senior friendly

It is rather remarkable how many websites are still not senior-friendly, especially when you consider 90% of Americans 65+ are Internet users. Many websites still fail to take into account the physical and cognitive changes that are experienced by most seniors.

It is no secret that the ability of older adults to perform certain mental tasks decreases with age, such as the ability to assimilate and process new information, consume extensive text – long sentences, long paragraphs, and long copy blocks – or perform complex cognitive tasks, like computing a math problem or following extensive instructions. As one ages, these tasks become more difficult for older internet surfers.

Making It Easier for Seniors to Glean Information from Your Website

Recognizing the difficulties created by cognitive change, how do we address those difficulties? Here are three rules that can help:

1. Be Concise: Keep communications brief and straight-forward. Sentences should be short and easy-to-read.
2. Be Sequential: Make sure your message is sequential and easy-to-follow. Avoid leaps in logic. Do not require your website visitor to have to locate specific information in other parts of your website – you will risk losing them.
3. Be Uncluttered: Keep your content uncluttered. Not only are seniors dealing with cognitive decline, but many are also experiencing declining vision. So don’t put anything in their way that will make their task harder or will distract them from your intended message flow.

And This Leads to Another Point…

As we age, our vision generally declines, making it more difficult for older people to read text – especially on a computer screen or smartphone. So don’t make reading your website a challenge for seniors. You can accomplish this by:

1. Using larger type sizes – at least 12-14 -point size or more.
2. Sticking with common typefaces as opposed to fancy typefaces – and seniors generally find heavier or bolder typefaces easier to read than lighter ones.
3. Avoiding reverse type or italics. (Advertising icon, David Ogilvy, once said that if you were ever faced with having to include a disclaimer in an ad, publish the disclaimer in 5-point, italic, reverse type – then, no one will notice it!)
4. Avoiding typefaces that do not strongly contrast with background colors. And by all means, do not print your text over patterned background! That will guarantee seniors won’t be able to read it.
5. Employing wider page margins and gaps between sections to present content in more digestible segments, giving older readers extra space to process information.

If you will take the extra step of providing an option for users to increase font size as necessary to meet their own individual needs, older visitors will enjoy an even greater experience on your website.

Motor Control Becomes a Bigger Issue with Age, Too

Many older adults experience physical limitations, like slower response speed, impaired motor coordination and dexterity, or arthritis (which can hinder hand and wrist functions). These limitations can inhibit a senior’s ability to manipulate a mouse. Consider how you can make your website easier to physically navigate, such as:

1. Offering navigation via the directional arrow keys on the keyboard, as well as via a mouse.
2. Making all links obvious by using differentiating colors and/or backgrounds to create clear visual contrast between the site navigation and the content areas of the screen.
3. Providing larger buttons that react to single mouse clicks (as opposed to double-clicks) to access information.
4. Maximizing clickable areas, leaving big spaces between objects on a page.
5. Avoiding drop-down pages that may require a level of mouse precision that some older users no longer have.

These items not only make it easier for seniors to manage a website’s navigation, but they will be welcomed by anyone who visits your website as well!

Some Final Thoughts about Website Usage and Cognitive Decline

As mentioned above, the ability for older adults to perform certain mental operations decreases with age. It is therefore essential to provide clear, step-by-step guidance to help older users explore your website. Components like numbered lists and obvious next steps will reduce potential confusion and frustration by an older visitor to your site. Elements that can make your website visit better experience for seniors can include:

1. Consistent page layouts that aid familiarity when moving from one page to the next.
2. Descriptive titles for pages that clearly communicate each page’s topic or purpose.
3. Focused content that ensures every element on a page absolutely needs to be there. If something doesn’t add value, get rid of it.
4. Formatted text consisting of “bite-sized chunks,” using very simple, concise language that is easy for older readers to digest.
5. Limited number of interactive elements on a page to ensure a less-demanding, more streamlined user experience.

Less Is More

Ultimately, making your website senior-friendly is about eliminating roadblocks that require seniors to reroute as they navigate the site. Keep it clean and direct. Because when communicating with seniors, clarity always trumps cleverness – especially online.