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We Are All Getting Older

Decorative illustration of an elderly man staring confused at his smartphone

...Why You Should Design For Digital Elders

Most elders struggle to some degree with the digital services and products we develop today. They often jump to the conclusion that they are stupid and incapable if they misinterpret or misunderstand things online. Very few criticize the design, and rather criticize themselves.

According to the United Nations, the world’s population is aging fast. In an increasingly digital society, elders will need to be able to use digital services and products to be functional members of society. It will be the task of people in tech to make the digital world accessible for elders so they can still deliver their taxes, access their health records, get groceries and more.

By 2030 there will be more elders (65+) than children and young adults in Norway.

Statistics Norway

What Happens When We Get Old?

Along with physical changes, healthy aging brings many gradual changes in our cognitive abilities. We may begin to struggle with our short-term memory, speed of processing and learning and problem-solving in new circumstances. While today's accessibility laws and regulations accommodate physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities are less included and are often not understood as well or taken as seriously as their physical counterparts.

Won’t The Problem Solve Itself?

The next generation of elders might be more familiar with using technology in their day to day lives from an early age. However, it will still be difficult for them to learn new technology and keep up with technological innovation as their cognitive ability declines, even if they had a relatively high degree of digital competency as young adults.

How Can We Help?

As creators of digital solutions, the decisions we make day-to-day affect people’s ability to be independent and have control of their own life. We have an enormous social responsibility and need to always work towards creating empathic and empowering solutions for vulnerable users like digitally lacking, cognitively disabled elders. We hope this collection of insights on elders can help you in this work.

1.
The Digitally Lacking Elder

Elders today vary in digital competency

Digital competency is more complex than being completely digital or completely non-digital. The majority of elders can be placed somewhere in the middle as digitally lacking. As we age, our cognitive functions decline at various degrees and at various speeds which impacts our use of digital services and products.

Most elders are digitally lacking in competence in various ways

Digital competency is not about being completely digital or completely non-digital, but can rather be seen as scale from non-digital, through digitally lacking, to digitally competent. The vast majority of elders are somewhere in the middle and can be defined as digitally lacking in competence in various ways. While some elders are completely non-digital, an equal number are also very digitally competent.

Our Tips

​​Simplify Visual Language

Use a simple visual language (icons, pictures, illustrations, etc). Do not rely on design conventions that elders may not understand without explanation or verification. Be sure to explain what they are, and user test that they work.


Use Relevant Illustrations

Make sure illustrations (media, pictures, etc.) serve a relevant function, and are not just there as a decorative measure. Some elders will try to find the connection between the illustration and other content, and can get confused, or conclude that they are missing something if this connection does not exist. Others might mistake illustrations as an interactive part of the user interface, and feel stupid or frustrated when the interaction is unsuccessful.


Be Aware of Unrepresentative Insights

Recognize that the insight you gather on elders will likely be unrepresentative to some degree. It is difficult, if not impossible, to reach the most vulnerable users in our society, including the least digital elders. Be aware that your solution may need simplification beyond what your insights reveal.

Illustration of a human brain

 
“I would say that around 60% of those who live around me are not that good with digital things.” ​

Quote by an elderly

“There are elders who are digital outsiders, but the vast majority are digital in some way. It ranges from being able to use a mobile phone to being very digital. Being digital isn’t a thing, it’s a scale.”

Quote by a designer

1. The Digitally Lacking Elder
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Feeling & Frustrations

2.
Feelings & Frustrations

Some elders experience stress, uncertainty and fear

When elders interact with digital services and products, they can get stressed, uncertain, intimidated, and some even experience fear. In the process of navigating and making choices, elders often hesitate and feel unsure about their choices both before and after making them. Several are afraid to make irreversible mistakes that can have huge consequences for themselves or other individuals. Some are unable to separate between plausible consequences, such as sending money to the wrong bank account, and implausible consequences, like giving away all their savings by clicking the wrong button.

Feelings_2.0.jpg

Feeling inadequate and sceptical

Elders are also afraid to learn about technology in general, as they feel like there is too much to learn and understand. They fear that their skill level is worse than that of others of similar age or experience. Additionally, most elders are aware of potentially dangerous interactions online, like scams or phishing, which results in an unwarranted scepticism for all interactions with digital services and technologies.

Our Tips

Be Mindful of Redesigns

Both small and large redesigns and updates will likely confuse and stress your elderly users, since the cognitive decline elders experience make it difficult for them to learn new things. Reflect on the motivations and reasonings behind redesigns and updates beforehand. Help your elderly users by providing guides, and consider offering extra help in the days and weeks after a redesign or major update.

​

Clarify Expectations and Actions

Our insights show that some elders might have unrealistic fears of the consequences of their actions. Allow elders to understand what happens when they perform an action before it is performed, in order to feel safe.

​

Incorporate Extra Confirmations for Actions

Help ensure that elderly users understand and can confirm that they wish to complete an action if that action is irreversible or has significant consequences.

​

Only Ask for Required Information

Only ask for the information you require at any given time. Explain why you need that information to reassure elderly users of your intent.

“I see how angry my friends get with certain apps. I understand well that they have to update and change them, but every time there is an update, there is also a new challenge for us elders. When we have learned the system, it changes again and we cannot keep up.”

Quote by an elderly

“They are uncertain in the digital world in the first place, so they get easily stressed when they have to fill something out.”

Quote by a designer

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Cognitive Challenges

3.
Cognitive Challenges

Affected by decreased cognitive function i various ways

Old age impacts elders’ cognitive functions in various ways. They might use more time, struggle with prolonged focus, and find it difficult to comprehend complicated content. Some might struggle with problem-solving, and experience decreased processing speed and information overload more frequently than other user groups.

Avoid information overload

Decreased cognitive function, means that elders need more time to absorb, process, and interact to avoid getting stressed. When designing for elders we need to work towards avoiding information overload while still giving enough information to make the content understandable.

Our Tips

Avoid Complicated Language

Use short, simple sentences with concrete, everyday words. Avoid abbreviations and complicated punctuation.​

​

Keep Text Relevant and Concise

Some elders might feel pressed to read all text presented on the page, but struggle to keep focus long enough to complete.

​

Refrain from Stressing a Choice

Avoid stressing users by forcing them to make a choice before they are ready, such as time limited offers. Give them time and space to process and move forward at their own pace.

​

Make Actions and Buttons Descriptive

Actions and buttons should be more descriptive than simply "Read more". Be sure to rather add context by writing "Read the article" or similar.

Information_Overload_4.0.jpg

“The elderly spent a lot of time evaluating the nuances of the answer options [in our survey], something they did not need to do at all. So we have tried to remove things that can create confusion.”

Quote by a designer

“Time is a thing with the elderly, as they are stressed by the quick pace of digital services today. Therefore, digital services aimed at elders must have a different time span, as they become more stressed.”

Quote by a designer

Skille.jpg
4. Navigational Challenges

4.
Navigational Challenges

Navigating digital spaces gets harder with old age

Navigation is a huge challenge for elders and they might struggle with otherwise simple navigational cues and navigational language.

The do’s and don’ts of navigation and elders

Some elders struggle to navigate back and forth between pages and tabs and in general understand established navigational language. Some elders do not understand scrolling conventions, like scrolling up, down, or sideways when navigating digital services and products. Others prefer this method compared to navigating back and forth within a hierarchy of pages to receive information.

Our Tips

Sequence Content

Divide content into several sequences to avoid information overload. It is important to find a balance between avoiding information overload and keeping focus.​

​

Make Backtracking Understandable

Be sure that elderly users understand how to go back to a previous page or action. Consider carefully whether the word "back" and its convention is understood clearly.

​

Allow Multiple Ways of Navigation

Have tolerance for variety in navigation, as elders will have different ways to navigate. Some elders struggle to learn new ways of navigating and might feel frustrated if they can't navigate the way that they already know.

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Give Feedback During Navigation

Create navigational structures that allow elderly users to feel in control. Be sure to give them clear feedback on where they are, where they are navigating next and other possibilities for navigation.

​

Nudge Users to Scroll When Needed

Be sure to clearly communicate when scrolling is an available option.
 

Keep Choices to a Minimum

Be aware that some elders struggle to process and navigate too many choices, due to a decline in cognitive function. Many prefer making one choice at a time rather than several choices at once.

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“Before the menu was on the left side, and you also had a main page with a summary. But then the users were most concerned with the main page and did not notice the menu. Now there is only a menu.”

Quote by a designer

“Things that seem obvious are not. Even when just scrolling on a website, we have to guide a little more than we usually do. We need to create several alternative ways to do something on the same screen.”

Quote by a designer

Skille.jpg
5. Isolation & Independence

5.
Isolation & Independence

A struggle to keep up

Elders struggle to keep up with the fast-moving and innovative pace of technology but feel pressured to use it to avoid becoming isolated from society.

Digital independence is important

They desire independence in their daily lives as they are often forced to seek out help from spouses, family, and friends to overcome digital challenges, for example paying bills online. Some elders are forced to share personal data to overcome these digital challenges. While some are aware that they should not share certain personal data, they often don’t feel like they have any other alternatives.

Our Tips

Offer a Helping Hand

Help your elderly users through helpful texts, tool-tips, FAQ’s, tips-messages, good microcopy and explanations.​

​

Supply Human Contact

Consider providing easy-to-find customer support like an online chat or phone number users can get help from.​

​

Be Forgiving

Digital services and products should be forgiving of typos and mistakes in places that require user input, such as search fields, forms, etc.

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“I will keep up to date, even when I retire. You have to keep up all the time or you will quickly fall behind.”

Quote by an elderly

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