When you’re creating a website, the most important thing to consider from a design standpoint is who your target market is. Without this in mind, you could be creating a website that might not be functional for those that you’re intending to have come to your website, especially if those people are of an older generation.
So to help ensure that any senior citizens who come to your website will be well taken care of once they’re there, here are three tips for creating a website for an older target market.
Make Everything Easier To Read
One of the most important design elements to implement when creating a website for an older target market is to make all text bigger so it’s easier to read.
According to Ilene Strizver, a contributor to Fonts.com, in addition to having text that’s at least size 14 or higher, you’re also going to want to consider things like typestyle, color, and how you emphasize certain words.
As for your typestyle, you’ll want to choose fonts that aren’t too decorative, as those can be hard to decipher. Additionally, you’ll want the color of your text to starkly contrast with the colors you have on the background of your text. And when you’re wanting to add emphasis to any of your text, make sure you use a bold text rather than italicized text, as italics can make words harder to read as well.
Design For Poor Motor Control
As people age, their ability to use fine motor skills can decline. Because of this, it’s important that any website that’s meant to be used by seniors is designed with this in mind.
To account for poor motor control of some senior citizens, Rik Williams, a contributor to Alzheimers.org, advises that you make the clickable areas very large and with lots of empty space around them so it’s easy to select whatever is wanted. Along with this, you’ll want to give users plenty of time to interact with the page before anything times out or pops up to solicit their attention. And if you can make it so the user is primarily using the mouse rather than the keyboard, you might find better results and conversions on your pages.
Keep Things Simple
For the overall design of any website that’s meant to cater to an older target market, Constance Gustke, a contributor to the New York Times, recommends that you keep your menus simple, along with the navigation and page setup throughout your entire site. The simpler and more to-the-point things are, the easier seniors will find your website to be.
If your target demographic is senior citizens, consider using the design tips mentioned above when creating your website for them.
Originally posted on February 20, 2020 @ 2:23 pm