Skip to main content
Log in

A systematic approach to the development of research-based web design guidelines for older people

  • Long Paper
  • Published:
Universal Access in the Information Society Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic approach to the development of a set of research-based ageing-centred web design guidelines (SilverWeb Guidelines). The approach included an initial extensive literature review in the area of human–computer interaction and ageing, the development of an initial set of guidelines based on the reviewed literature, a card sorting exercise for their classification, an affinity diagramming exercise for the reduction and further finalisation of the guidelines, and finally a set of heuristic evaluations for the validation and test of robustness of the guidelines. The 38 final guidelines are grouped into eleven distinct categories (target design, use of graphics, navigation, browser window features, content layout design, links, user cognitive design, use of colour and background, text design, search engine, user feedback and support).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Americans with Disabilities Act. US Public Law 101–336. Available online under http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/statutes/ofccp/ada.htm

  2. Arditi, A. Making Text Legible. Lighthouse International. Available online under http://www.lighthouse.org/print_leg.htm

  3. Becker, S.A.: A study of web usability for older adults seeking online health resources. ACM. Trans. Comput. Hum. Interact. 11(4), 387–406 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bernard, M.L.: Optimal web design: software usability Research Laboratory. Criteria for optimal web design. Available online under http://www.psychology.wichita.edu/optimalweb/older_adults.htm

  5. Brouwer-Janse, M.D., Suri, J.F., Yawitz, M., de Vries, G., Fozard, J.L., Coleman, R.: User interfaces for young and old. Interactions 4(2), 34–36 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Carella, J.: Age related decline in extrafoveal letter perception. J. Gerontol. 40(6), 727–736 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Charness, N., Bosman, E.: Human factors in design. In: Birren, J.E., Schaie, K.W. (eds.) Handbook of Psychology of Ageing, pp. 446–463. Academic, San Diego (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Czaja, S.: Using technologies to aid the performance of home tasks. In: Fisk, A.D., Rogers, W.A. (eds.) Handbook of Human Factors and the Older Adult, pp 311–334 (1997)

  9. Czaja, S.J., Guerrier, J.H., Nair, S.N., Landauer, T.K.: Computer communication as an aid to independence for older adults. Behav. Inf. Technol. 12(4), 197–207 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Czaja, S.J., Sharit, J.: Age differences in attitudes toward computers. J. Gerontol. Psychol. Sci. 53B(5), 329–340 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Department of Trade and Industry. Ageing population panel—5 applications of information and communications technology taskforce. Available online under http://www.foresight.gov.uk/servlet/Controller/ver=27/userid=2/Ageing_Report_5.pdf

  12. Disability Discrimination Act. S(19)(a), (b),(c) and (d). Available online under http://www.austlii.edu.au/∼andrew/test/dda1995264/s19.html

  13. Eilers, M.L.: Older adults and computer education: not to have the world a closed door. Int. J. Technol. Aging. 2, 56–76 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Fox, S. Older Americans and the Internet. Available online under http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/117/report_display.asp

  15. Fozard, J.L.: Vision and hearing in aging. In: Birren, J.E., Sloane, R.B., Cohen, G.D. (eds.) Handbook of Mental Health and Aging, pp. 150–170. Academic, San Diego (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Fuccella, J., Pizzolato, J.: Creating Website Designs Based on User Expectations and Feedback. Internetworking 1(1) Available online under http://www.internettg.org/newsletter/june98/web_design.html (1998)

  17. Furlong, M.S.: An electronic community for older adults: the senior network. J. Commun. 39(3), 145–153 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Gaffney, G. What is Affinity Diagramming? Available online under http://www.infodesign.com.au/ftp/AffinityDiagramming.pdf

  19. General Services Administration. Section 508. Available online under http://www.section508.go..

  20. Hart, T. Evaluation of websites for older adults. How "Senior Friendly" are they? Available online under http://www.psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/61/older_adults.htm

  21. Hartlet, J.: Designing instructional text for older readers: a literature review. Br. J. Educ. Technol. 25(3), 172–188 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Hartley, A.A.: Attention. In: Craik, F.I.M., Salthouse, T.A. (eds.) The Handbook of Aging and Cognition. Erlbaum, Hillsdale (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Hawthorn, D.: Possible implications of aging for interface designers. Interact. Comput. 12(5), 507–528 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Helve, J., Krause, U.: The influence of age on performance in the Panel-D15 colour vision test. Acta. Opthalmol. 50, 896–901 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hodes, R.J., Lindberg, D.A.B. PDF: making your web site senior friendly. Available online under http://www.usability.gov/checklist.pdf

  26. Hoisko, J.: Early experiences of visual memory prosthesis for supporting episodic memory. Int. J. Hum. Comput. Int. 15(2), 209–320 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Hom, J. The Usability Methods Toolbox. Available online under http://www.jthom.best.vwh.net/usability/

  28. Howard, J.H., Howard, D.V.: Learning and memory. In: Fisk, A.D., Rogers, W.A. (eds.) Handbook of Human Factors and the Older Adult, pp. 7–27. Academic, New York (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Hoyer, W.J., Rybash, J.M.: Age and visual field differences in computing visual spatial relations. Psychol. Aging. 7(3), 339–342 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. IBM. EZSort. Available online under http://www.-3.ibm.com/ibm/easy/eou_ext.nsf/Publish/410

  31. ISO (1998) ISO 9241 Software ergonomics with visual display terminals (VDTs), Part 11 Guidance on usability. International Standards Organization, Geneva

  32. ISO (2000) ISO 16071 Ergonomics of human-system interaction—guidance on software accessibility. Technical specification. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva

  33. ISO/IEC. ISO/ IEC Guide 71: Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities. Available online under http://www.cenorm.be/BOSS/supporting/reference+documents/cclcgd005.pdf

  34. Ito, M., O’Day, V.L., Adler, A., Linde, C., Mynatt, E.D.: Making a place for seniors on the net: seniornet, senior identity, and the digital divide. Comput. Soc. 31(3), 15–21 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Jagacinski, R.J., Liao, M.J., Fayyad, E.A.: Generalised slowing in sinusoidal tracking in older adults. Psychol. Aging. 10(1), 8–19 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Keates, S., Lebbon, C., Clarkson, P.J.: Investigating industry attitudes to universal design. In: Proceedings of RESNA 2000. Orlando (2000)

  37. Kline, D.W., Scialfa, C.T.: Sensory and perceptual functioning: basic research and human factors implications. In: Fisk, A.D., Rogers, W.A. (eds.) Handbook of Human Factors and the Older Adult, pp. 27–54. Academic, San Diego (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Kolodinsky, J.M.C., Rowe, E.: Bridging the generation gap across the digital divide: teens teaching Internet skills to senior citizens. J. Ext. 40(3) (2002)

  39. Kosnik, W., Winslow, L., Kline, D., Rasinski, K., Sekuler, R.: Visual changes in daily life throughout adulthood. J. Gerontol. Psychol. Sci. 43(3), 63–70 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Kurniawan, S., Zaphiris, P.: Research-derived web design guidelines for older people. In: Proceedings of 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS’ 05). ACM Press, Baltimore (2005)

  41. Lawhorn, T., Ennis, D., Lawhorn, D.C.: Senior adults and computers in the 1990’s. Educ. Gerontol. 22(2):193–201 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Light, K.E., Spiriduso, W.W.: Effects of adult aging on the movement complexity factor in response programming. J. Gerontol. Psychol. Sci. 45(3), 107–109 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Lopes, J.B.: Designing user interfaces for severely handicapped persons. In: Proceedings of 2001 EC/NSF workshop on universal accessibility of ubiquitous computing: providing for the elderly. ACM Press, Alcácer do Sal (2001)

  44. Maguire, M., Bevan, N.: User requirements analysis: a review of supporting methods. In: Proceedings of IFIP 17th World Computer Congress. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Montreal (2002)

  45. Maguire, MC. User-centred requirements handbook, Version 3.3. Available online under http://www.ejeisa.com/nectar/respect/5.3/44.htm

  46. Maurer, D., Warfel, T. Card sorting: a definitive guide. Available online under http://www.boxesandarrows.com/archives/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide.php

  47. McConatha, D., McConatha, J.T., Dermigny, R.: The use of interactive computer services to enhance the quality of life for long term care residents. Gerontologist 34(4), 553–556 (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  48. Meyer, B., Sit, R.A., Spaulding, V.A., Mead, S.E., Walker, N.: Age group differences in World Wide Web navigation. In: Proceedings of CHI ’97 Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM Press, Atlanta (1997)

  49. Mikkonen, M., Vayrynen, S.V., Ilkonen, V., Haikkila, M.O.: User and concept studies as tools in developing mobile communication for the elderly. Pers. Ubiquitous. Comp. 6(2), 113–124 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Mohamedally, D., Zaphiris, P., Petrie, H.: Recent research in mobile computing: a review and taxonomy of HCI issues. In: Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Human–Computer Interaction. Crete (2003)

  51. Morrell, R.W., Echt, K.V.: Designing written instructions for older adults learning to use computers In: Fisk, A.D., Rogers, W.A. (eds.) Handbook of Human Factors and the Older Adult, pp 335–363 (1996)

  52. Morrell, R.W.: http://www.nihseniorhealth.gov: the process of construction and revision in the development of a model web site for use by older adults. Universal Access in the Information Society 4(1), 24–38 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  53. National Cancer Institute. Research based web design and usability guidelines. Available online under http://www.usability.gov/pdfs/guidelines.html

  54. National Institute on Aging. Making your web site senior friendly: a checklist. Available online under http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/checklist.pdf

  55. Nielsen, J. Ten usability heuristics. Available online under http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.htm

  56. Nielsen, J. Ten Good Deeds in web design. Available online under http://www.useit.com/alertbox/991003.html

  57. Nielsen, J. Usability for senior citizens. Available online under http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020428.html

  58. Quillan, D.A.: Common causes of vision loss in elderly patients. Am. Fam. Physician. 60(1), 99–108 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  59. Rehabilitation act amendments. Section 508. Available online under http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/act.htm

  60. Robertson, J. Information design using card sorting. Available online under http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cardsorting

  61. Rockstein, M., Sussman, M.L.: Biology of Aging. Lifetime Series in Aging. Wadsworth, Belmont (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  62. Rosenfeld, L., Morville, P.: Information architecture for the World Wide Web. 1st edition. O’Reilly, Sebastopol (1998)

  63. Salthouse, T.A.: The aging of working memory. Neuropsychology 8(4), 535–543 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Scapin, D.L.: Organizing human factors knowledge for the evaluation and design of interfaces. Int. J. Hum. Comp. Interac. 2(3), 203–229 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Scapin, D.L., Bastien, J.M.C.: Ergonomic criteria for evaluating the ergonomic quality of interactive systems. Behav. Inf. Technol. 16(4–5), 220–231 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Scapin, D.L., Leulier, C., Vanderdonckt, J., Mariage, C., Bastien, C., Farence, C., Palanque, P., Bastide, R. A Framework for organising web usability guidelines. Available online under http://www.tri.sbc.com/hfweb/scapin/Scapin.html

  67. Scheiber, F.: Aging and the senses. In: Birren, J.E., Sloane, R.B., Cohen, G.D. (eds.) Handbook of Mental Health and Aging, pp 252–306. Academic, San Diego (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  68. Shapiro, P.: Computer use and the elderly. Wash. Apple Pi. J. 17(6), 24–28 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  69. Shneiderman, B.: Designing the user interface : strategies for effective human-computer-interaction. 3rd edition. Addison–Wesley, Reading (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  70. Spiezle, C.D. Interface design guidelines for users of all ages. Available online under http://www.agelight.com/webdocs/designguide.pdf

  71. Spiriduso, W.W.: Aging and motor control. In: Lamb, D.R., Gisolfi, C.V., Nadel, E. (eds.) Perspectives in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine: Exercise in Older Adults, pp. 53–114. Cooper Publisher Group, Carmel (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  72. Stephanidis, C.: Toward an information society for all: HCI challenges and R&D recommendations. Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interac. 11(1), 1–28 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Stroud, D. Marketing, the web and the 50+ consumer. Available online under http://www.20plus30.com/marketing/articles/marketing_the_Web_and_the_50+_consumer.htm

  74. Stuart-Hamilton, I.: The psychology of ageing : an introduction. 3rd ed. J. Kingsley Publishers, Philadelphia (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  75. Vercruyssen, M.: Movement control and the speed of behaviour. In: Fisk, A.D., Rogers, W.A. (eds.) Handbook of Human Factors and the Older Adult, pp. 55–86. Academic, San Diego (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  76. W3C. Web Content accessibility guidelines 1.0. Available online under http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10

  77. W3C. Policies relating to web accessibility. Available online under http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/

  78. Walker, N., Philbin, D.A., Fisk, A.D.: Age related differences in movement control: adjusting sub-movement structure to optimize performance. J. Gerontol. Psychol. Sci. 52B(1), 40–52 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  79. Welford, A.T.: Motor performance. In: Birren, J.E., Schaie, K.W. (eds.) Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, pp. 450–496. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  80. Zajicek, M. Special interface requirements for older adults. Available online under http://www.virtual.inesc.pt/wuauc01/procs/pdfs/zajicek_final.pdf

  81. Zajicek, M.: Successful and available: interface design exemplars for older users. Interact. Comput. 16(3), 411–430 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  82. Zaphiris, P., Ghiawadwala, M., Mughal, S.: Age-centered research-based web design guidelines. In: Proceedings of CHI ’05 Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM Press, Portland (2005)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Panayiotis Zaphiris.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zaphiris, P., Kurniawan, S. & Ghiawadwala, M. A systematic approach to the development of research-based web design guidelines for older people. Univ Access Inf Soc 6, 59–75 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-006-0054-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-006-0054-8

Keywords

Navigation