Universal Usability Web Design Guidelines for the Elderly (Age 65 and Older)

The use of computers in everyday life, particularly the Internet, is growing at an astonishing rate. The idea of universal usability has been put forward to address the problems of building 'An Information Society for All'. Ben Shneiderman proposed three challenges to attain universal usability for Web-based and other services: technology variety, user diversity, and gaps in knowledge. While a variety of groups and organizations are working on hardware and software accessibility, how to design an easy-to-use interface that accommodates all user communities remains a major task. On the other hand, the population of older people is increasing at an extraordinary rate. People 45 years and older will soon make up more than half the adult population, and people 85 years and older are the fastest growing age group. While technology is rapidly being integrated into most aspects of life, changing the nature of work, the form and scope of personal communication, education, health care delivery, and home, older people are highly likely to be active users of technology.

Zhao, Haixia. Universal Usability (2001). Design>Usability>Accessibility>Elderly