Although the first “commercially available” smartphone came out in 1992, it would take another 20 years for these handheld devices to take over our everyday lives.
IDC reported a 44% jump in smartphone sales in 2012. This meant that 712 million units were sold. It was a time of exciting things and change at a global level. It was also a year that would determine which operating system would reign supreme in the years to come. Thus far, it was a tough choice between Android, Blackberry, iOS, Linux, Symbian, and Windows.
The young and the creative were adopting a new way of life. Everything happened on their smartphones.
But, one more thing changed – the rise of smartphones left behind those we should have cared for the most -- the elderly.
Sure, we took cutesy pictures with our grandparents, shared them on Facebook, and taught them what a “Tweet” was. We were also annoyed teaching them how to unlock their phones for the umpteenth time. It became increasingly apparent that smartphones and old people weren’t meant to be.
But, maybe that wasn’t entirely true too. The Japanese seemed to care.
In May 2012, Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo launched its first smartphone designed for senior citizens. The touch-screen smartphone displayed extra-large fonts and icons and came with simplified steps to take pictures and access or send emails.
Skip to 2022, and we’ve come a long, long way. Yet, we still have miles to go.
Today, Asus’ Chromebook Flip is considered one of the best laptops for older people. They’re practically immune to viruses, easy on the pocket, boot quickly, tightly integrated with Google, and seamlessly take voice commands.
But, there’s another big player that older people can’t seem to get enough of – the iPad. And why not? It’s so easy to navigate; even a child could do it.
• There’s no wait time. Press a button, and it turns on.
• No, really. Apps load at the speed of light.
• Viruses don’t really stand a chance.
• Whatever you need is easy to access by just tapping its icon.
• If your folks or someone older in your family already uses an iPhone, the learning time is reduced.
Apple has been synonymous with ingenuity. While it’s often perceived only as a progressive and “cool” brand that caters to the young and fabulous, it also caters to senior citizens through accessibility features.
For starters,
One out of three people over 65 have an eye condition, making it difficult to read fine print.
Anyone with blurry vision or those with diminishing eyesight can pinch two fingers on the screen and expand it to a size of their liking to read any text that may appear small. For an older person, it’s one of the easiest ways to get information without asking for help. With a physical book or a newspaper, there is no option to do so.
By default (and it’s automatically assumed) that older people don’t need too many apps and aren’t quite interested in learning how to use them. A Pew Research Center survey revealed that 61% of people older than 65 owned a smartphone, and 44% of those over 65 owned a tablet. However, they were least likely to use social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
On the other hand, 83% of Americans between 50-64 use YouTube. This is all to say that the device has made it easy for older people to discover YouTube – they only need to look for the icon and tap on it. It’s a masterclass in intuitive UI and UX design.
But, we’re in 2022 now – and we must think of all design as accessible and inclusive. Here’s how you, too, can design for the elderly.
How to Design for the Elderly
• At the risk of over-simplifying interfaces, a designer must constantly keep in mind the target group – in this case, one that’s often overlooked. Start off with introducing product features one at a time rather than all at once. Remember that short-term memory isn’t the strongest suit for many senior citizens.
• Avoid dividing screens so that they don’t have to perform multiple actions.
• Set up a system to push notifications and reminders to form habitual actions. Pavlov it. It works.
• Be clear in your offering. Stick to plain backgrounds. Don’t overlay text with distracting graphics.
• Don’t assume anything. For instance, older people may not identify the different icons and symbols that make up the UI/UX world. Likewise, they may not be well-versed with acronyms too. So, when using icons and symbols, pair them with clear and descriptive text.
• Stay consistent throughout your design – whether with typography, color themes, or the type of imagery you have picked.
• Let the user decide how much they wish to zoom in or out – keep the font at a minimum of 16 px.
• While high contrast is the way to go, you should avoid blue for interface elements.
• Keep in mind that red and green are the hardest colors to differentiate for someone with color blindness.
• 44% of the elderly play solo games online, and 46% still send/receive pictures via email. This should give you a window into the elements you should ideally focus on.
• While moving from one site to another, give them a heads up. Not only do they dislike the sudden surprise, it may also confuse them. Whenever and wherever possible, indicate external links.
• Although a pillar of universal design, this feature matters more to older generations. A current location indicator is a feature you must include in your design. Clear titles or navigation indicators help users move from one screen to the next with ease.
• For those with short-term memory vulnerabilities or fine motor control limitations, performing time-sensitive tasks can cause distress. Hence, time-sensitive activities and tasks should be avoided when designing for the elderly. If, however, there is a need, increase the time allotted to complete the task at hand.
• Be like Google. You can now hum a tune or a part of a song for the assistant to discover the song for you. You can even misspell a word beyond recognition, and Google will autocorrect it for you. Be open to error-making. Develop a high level of tolerance for it. For instance, if there is a form to fill, leave room for the user to make errors. A single typo shouldn’t have to make them re-do the entire form again.
As UI/UX designers, we’re trained to design for specific target groups. What’s the first target group that comes to your find for any service or product?
Let us take a wild guess:
• They’re young
• They own a decent smartphone
• They’re quick to learn things
• They’re technologically literate
• They spend half their waking hours on their phone
While we start designing for this majority, we often forget those who need help the most – the elderly. While designing solely for them may not be the most practical option, keeping them in mind and starting small will take your design a long way. Accessible design is for everyone. Be that designer.
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