Web design and web page layout & style are so much interconnected that sometimes, though erroneously, may even perceived as equivalents. So when designing a website for a particular demographic segment, a close attention should be paid to these aspects. In this blog we will target web design peculiarities for older people concerning website’s layout and style.
- Use large areas of white space and small blocks of text:
Large areas of white space and small blocks of text increase readability, making pages cleaner looking and easier to navigate. If possible, use short text or lists to paragraphs of text. It is suggested to leave a wide margin of 1 1/2 or more inches on the right side of the page to maximize usability with different monitor types, window sizes and display resolutions.
- Clear organization of content:
The proper organization of information on a screen is important as visual search skills and selective attention decline with age. Put related information together, as older users are likely to have to work harder to compare screen objects that are widely separated.
- Paragraph alignment:
Use short line lengths and left justified text. Left-hand justification provides the highest level of readability. Center justification should be implied only for the title.
- Keep background simple:
People with low vision can have difficulty reading information at sites with busy backgrounds. Background patterns, floating text over images, or colors that obscure text are distracting and make the page much harder. Even what may seem to be very subtle background images, such as watermarks or embossed logos, can detract significantly from readability. However, a light complementary background color may be applied.
- Minimize blinking images and animation:
Animation, or any quickly flashing or blinking elements, are highly distracting to peripheral vision. They distract people’s attention from focusing on the main information, as well as causing short-term memory loss, slower reading speed, and compromise reading comprehension. With the increased use of multiple advertising banners on Web pages, this can be a significant problem.
- Ensure user control of changes concerning the time-sensitive content:
Elderly people may not be able to read moving text quickly enough. Movement can also cause such a distraction that reading is even slower and more difficult. If the people have mobile disability, he or she may not be able to move quickly or accurately enough to interact with moving objects. So try to avoid using moving, blinking, flicking, scrolling, or auto-updating text, objects or pages in your design.
- Provide additional cues:
Web design using depth perception to convey information should provide additional cues in the case of older users. Never expect older users to detect small movements but instead find more obvious ways of indicating changes.
- Provide larger graphics and click targets:
Aging is typically associated with impairment in motor ability. Simply scrolling or double-clicking a mouse proves difficult for some elderly people, especially those with hand function restrictions, so make all graphical links and buttons large and easy to click on. Sometimes ease of use can be enhanced by increasing the size of the area around a link. Never ask people to click on a moving target.
For more information on designing web pages for older people you may also check our earlier blogs, Web Design Peculiarities for Older People (Part 1) and Web Design Peculiarities for Older People (Part 2).
