The Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and the Web, Part 3: Connecting with Silver Surfers on the Internet

As we age, the way we process information changes. Older adults tend to process information more slowly than younger adults. Research shows that the ability to perform some mental operations decreases with age; some of these operations include the ability to simultaneously remember and process new information, to perform complex cognitive tasks, and to comprehend text.⁴ Usually these changes are subtle, occurring gradually over time. However, it can impact the way your older clients interact with information on your Web site. To make it easier for your clients, you can follow these guidelines published by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine in their report: Making Your Web Site Senior Friendly.⁵

• Be direct. Present information in a clear and conversational way to reduce the number of inferences that must be made.
• Always use an active voice in your Web copy. For example: "You can save more money for retirement by following these three easy steps." versus "Today's retirees can save more money for retirement if they follow these three easy steps."
• Keep your Web copy simple and straightforward. Speak in everyday language and avoid insurance jargon. If you do include technical terms, be sure to include a link to a glossary that explains them.
• Break your Web content into small sections. Web attention spans are short. To keep your client's attention, omit any needless information or words. Focus on what's important, and your clients will too.

Step 3: Make your Web site easy to read.

As we age, our eyes change, too. According to Medina and Migliaccio, the following issues begin to occur after age 40: ⁶

• It's harder for older persons to distinguish between blue, greens and purples – and easier to see reds and oranges. Be sure your designer uses colors with high contrast levels.
• The narrowing retina means that people lose one half of their eyes' light-gathering capabilities between ages 20-50.
• Glare increases. This is seen vividly when driving an automobile on a rainy night. But it also causes the mature to have difficulty reading a message printed on high-gloss paper.

Therefore, certain guidelines can improve readability of online text by Silver Surfers.⁷

• Use a sans serif typeface throughout your Web site. Sans serif fonts include: Helvetica, Arial, Univers, and News Gothic.
• Use 12-point or 14-point type size for your Web body text.
• Use medium or bold face text.
• Present body text in upper and lowercase letters. Use all capital letters and italics in headlines only.
• Double space all body text.
• Use left justified text for Web sites geared for older adults.

Step 4: Make your Web site easy to navigate.

Navigational features can also ease your clients' experience with your Web site. According to Making Your Web Site Senior Friendly, a number of navigational features are important when designing a Web site for Silver Surfers.⁸

• Organize your Web site in a straightforward way. The organization of your Web site should be simple and straightforward. Use explicit step-by-step navigation procedures whenever possible to ensure that people understand what is coming next, and label your links.
• Be consistent with your Web design and layout. Use a standard page design and the same symbols and icons throughout your Web site. Use the same set of navigation buttons in the same place on each page to move from one Web page or section of your Web site to another.
• Use single mouse clicks to access information. Do not require double-clicks to access information on your Web site.
• Use pull-down menus sparingly, and avoid automatically scrolling text. Avoid automatically scrolling text. If manual scrolling is required, incorporate specific scrolling icons on each page.

Amy Kennel is communications director for Brokers International, Ltd. More of her Marketing Tips articles can be found here.

Footnotes:

¹Rainie Lee, Baby Boomers in the Digital Age. Pew Internet Project, January 10, 2009, http://www.pewinternet.org, accessed on September 20, 2009.
²Ibid.
³Kurt Medina and John Migliaccio, 77 Truths About Marketing To The 50+ Consumer, (Maturity Mark Services, Co., 1999, 2001, 2004, 2009 Medina Associates).
⁴Craik, F.I. M. and Salthouse, T.A. The Handbook of Aging and Cognition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000.
⁵National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine. Making Your Web Site User Friendly. September 2002.
⁶Ibid, Kurt Medina and John Migliaccio.
⁷Ibid, National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine.
⁸Ibid.