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Summary
According to a survey by Pew Research Centre, seniors are the demography least inclined towards digital applications, and face significant barriers in equitable access to the internet.
Key Insights
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Only 8% of seniors use the internet compared to 48% of younger adults, showing significant digital adoption gaps.
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Technophobia and computer anxiety are major psychological barriers that cause older adults to avoid new technologies.
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Age-related physical changes like presbyopia hinder color distinction and visual tracking on screens.
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Designing websites with font sizes above 14pt and customizable text improves accessibility for older adults.
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Buttons should be at least 48 pixels to reduce fat-finger errors for users with deteriorating motor skills.
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Use of multi-sensory outputs such as subtitles and audio narration supports users with hearing or vision impairments.
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Memory decline makes complex interfaces and long texts difficult; reminder functions and simple tooltips aid usability.
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Gerontechnology integrates aging science with design thinking to create tech solutions tailored for older adults.
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Localization of content is critical due to language barriers, impacting older adults in multilingual countries like Canada and India.
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One-on-one, person-centered teaching and research interactions yield richer insights and better support older learners.
Notable Quotes
"Seniors aged 60 years and above are uncomfortable and reluctant to use new technologies or experiment with new media platforms."
"Technophobia is defined as an irrational fear and unease towards modern technology."
"We should not design our interfaces with smaller font; let users change font size."
"Buttons should be sized 48 pixels and above to avoid fat finger errors."
"Older adults prefer systems that help them remember things like reminder options in phones or Google calendars."
"There is no universal design; customization is key to accommodate different aging factors."
"During research, it’s good to take consent and know their physical limitations in writing if you can’t observe them directly."
"Older adults were reluctant to use technology regardless of country: India, France, Canada."
"Zara includes accessibility features allowing users to customize color and font size to accommodate elderly users."
"Anyone can become visible at any point in life, so we should promote a culture of inclusivity in design."
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