STC Usability SIG Newsletter
Usability Interface

Conference Review:
Older Users and the Web

by Allen Rotz 

AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired People - a group that provides benefits and public advocacy for senior citizens) was a very appropriate and gracious host to the most recent course from the Usability University—"Older Users and the Web."

AARP launched its Older Wiser Wired initiative in March 2003 to specifically address issues of how older adults use the web. The website www.aarp.org/olderwiserwired contains a wealth of information about older adults and the web, what impediments they face, and how Websites can be designed to overcome these hurdles. The tagline, "Tyrrany of Tiny Type" doesn’t begin to describe the depth of information you will find there.

More than 15 speakers from both government, commercial, and academic sources presented their findings over two days. See www.usability.gov/
usabilityuniversity/description.html for a listing of speakers.

A Website Especially For Older Users

One bit of not surprising information is that older adults use the Web more often to find health information than anything else. Of particular note is the www.nihseniorhealth.gov site that was developed as a joint project by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine. The information provided is focused on health issues specifically related to aging.

Without requiring anything other than a Web browser and a PC with a sound card and speakers, the site provides three methods of addressing visual impairment. Larger type is available with a click on one button. Another button enables the user to toggle between normal and high contrast. A third button switches on the speech function. The user points the mouse over the text on the screen and hears it read aloud. As with screen readers, the users can use the tab button to move around the screen. Unlike screen readers, the voice is much more natural and reads at a much slower, easier to listen rate.

Part of the collaboration of the NIA and the NLM was the development of a brochure titled, Making Your Web site Senior Friendly. This is a checklist of basic design guidelines that should be followed to make a site more usable and comfortable for older adults. It should also be especially useful in showing management how a site should be designed. You can download a pdf version at www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/checklist.pdf.

Of particular interest was the presentation of the results of the analysis of a collection of Web sites that are targeted toward older adults. These sites were evaluated against the 25 guidelines of the NIA checklist. The report of these findings can be viewed at http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/61/older_adults.htm. This report can also be found in the free monthly e-newsletter www.usabilitynews.org published by the Software Usability Research Lab at Wichita State University. Subscriptions are free. Another article, also from SURL, on designing a website to be accessible to older users and other general usability design articles can be found at www.optimalweb.org.

More Older Users and More Usage

Everyone understands fewer older adults go online than other age groups. Of those 65 and more, 25% go online while the number for those 50-64 is 60% and for the 30-49 age groups it is 74%. However the number of those accessing the Internet in the 65+ group increased by 49% between 2000 and 2004. This increase is certain to continue as the slightly younger, more computer savvy adult’s age into the older segment.

Not only are the 65+ Web user crowd growing in numbers, they are doing more on the Web:

• 66% have looked for health information—an increase of 25% since 2000
• 66% had done product research—a 38% increase
• 60% have visited a government Website—a 50% increase
• 47% have bought something on the Internet—a 31% increase

These statistics and much related information are available at www.pewinternet.org.

A resource that has much interest, especially to those dealing with federal websites, is a monthly e-newsletter produced by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Titled U-Group, it provides brief articles on usability related topics with many hyperlinks to more detailed information. To subscribe, send an email to u-group@gsa.gov and type subscribe u-group in the body of the message.

Summary

The creation of the Usability University and the information presented in this seminar is good evidence of two great things. First, any in leadership roles at federal agencies have usability as a major concern. Second, that there is an understanding that the needs of older adults using the Web may be different from the younger population and that the Federal government is making significant efforts to serve the information needs of older adults.

For more information about AARP their Web site at www.aarp.org.

See www.aarp.org/olderwiserwired/
Articles/a2004-08-10-university.html  for conference handouts.