Developing accessible apps for elderly people
As technology and comunications evolves we find more
oportunities to help aged people improve their quality of life reducing
speciallist presence and time dedication requeriments. Telemedicine has been shown to reduce the cost of
healthcare and increase efficiency through better management of chronic
diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and fewer
or shorter hospital stays.
When we develope an application to help elderly
people, we must play attention not only to its main functionalities, we must also
be aware that the interface and navigation should be easily understood and accessible
for this particular audience. Otherwise we will run in to the risk our app
might become useless.
Keeping a check ist with the main guidelines is a good
practice to get good results.
VISION,
Problems & Solutions
Problem:
Reading problems because of disability to detect light, color and details.
Solution: Follow this type recommendations to prevent
visual problems when reading text
Typeface
|
Use a sans serif typeface.
Use a typeface that is not
condensed.
|
Type size
|
Use 12- or
14-point type size for body text.
Make it
easy for people to change the text size directly from the screen.
|
Type weight
|
Use medium or boldface typeface.
For headings, increase the size
and weight or use a color. If you use bold for body text, make headings stand
out with size or color.
|
Capital and lowercase letters
|
Put all
text in uppercase and lowercase letters. Never use all capitals. All capitals
take up more space. It is also more difficult to distinguish different
letters in capitals.
|
Letter Styles
|
Avoid
using italics
Italics are hard to read, especially online.
|
Justification
|
Left-justified
type is best for older adults.
|
Backgrounds/Contrast
|
- Use dark
type or graphics against a light background.
- Avoid patterned backgrounds.
|
Color
|
- Use high-contrast color combinations, such as black
type against a white background. Avoid layering shades of the same
color, such as dark blue type on a light blue background. Avoid colors
that clash. For example, dark blue on red is very difficult on the eye.
- Avoid yellow and blue and green in close
proximity. The differences in these colors are difficult for many older
people to see.
- Use colors to group information visually.
|
Problem: Often making
reading from a computer screen difficult as the eyes become less sensitive.
Solution: Make a good use of space
- Allow sufficient white space on the web page to
ensure an uncluttered look.
- Put a space between paragraphs.
- Allow enough space around clickable targets, such
as links and buttons, so that each one is easy to target and hit separately.
COGNITIVE
ABILITIES, Problems & Solutions
Problem:
Little training in the use of computers and the Internet
Solution: Make it
clear how the information on the website is organized. Users should easily be able to determine what information
your site offers and how it is organized. They should be able to figure out a
starting point and predict what type of information a link will lead them to.
It should also be clear how they can find more information as well as how to
return to previously visited pages.
Problem:
Working memory limitation affects the ability to simultaneously grasp, retain,
and manage new information
Solution: Break information into short sections. Giving people a small amount of content at one time
makes it easier for them to grasp and recall information.
Problem: Declines in
perceptual speed can increase the time it takes to process information
Solution: Group related
topics visually. Use page
layout to show how information is organized.
Problem: Text
comprehension can make it harder for older adults
to understand written material that is not expressed in a straightforward or
concrete manner
Solution:
Put key
information first. The most important
information should be located where people can find it most easily
Put the
sections in logical order. Think about
how older adults might look for information.
Limit the number of points you make. Stick to one to
five messages in each section. Keeping your information brief can make it
easier for web users to stay focused.
Keep paragraphs and sentences short. Paragraphs should
express one main idea. Sentences
should be simple and straightforward.
Write in the active voice. The active voice puts the
focus on people and actions.
Write in
the positive. Be especially aware of words that have negative
meaning such as "forget," "until," and "unless."
Instead of combining them with "not," rewrite the sentence with a
positive word.
Explain clearly;
don't make people guess what you mean. Be direct.
Give
specific instructions.
If the instructions have more than one step,
number them.
Problem: Many older
adults may be unfamiliar with technical language and jargon.
Solution:
Use understandable words and avoid technical terms.
Case study:
Global Tele Rehabilitation System
GTRS project recently won the Young Talent Forum Award
at the IV
Jornades R+D+I en TIC i Salut.
The GTRS
project aims to allow the patients, using a telerehabilitation system, to do
the rehabilitation exercises at home.
To achieve this objectives designers and developers
worked on an accessible interface, making good use of space, contrast, simple
images and easy readable text.
Summary
Older users
are used to connecting with people, not machines. Your design needs to have a
sense of warmth and humanity in order to appeal to this demographic.
And remember: Help the aged, because
one day you'll be older too
SOURCE:
National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services
http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/making-your-website-senior-friendly
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