G70 – Maintain consistency in the user interface. Screen layout, navigation and terminology used should be simple, clear and consistent.

Guideline:

Maintain consistency in the user interface. Screen layout, navigation and terminology used should be simple, clear and consistent.

Guideline Description:

The positioning of the interface elements on the same position in the screen will help the older adults, once older adults have reduced short-term memory. Center of the screen is privileged to give emphasis, increasing the likelihood of user notice the information.

Example:

Examples of consistent menus with a similar visual appearance.

Illustration adapted from Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project

Source:

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010
Designing touch-based interfaces for the elderly,2010

Tags:

Content, Design, Elderly, Layout, Navigation, Screen.

G69 – Avoid the use of scroll.

Guideline:

Avoid the use of scroll.

Guideline Description:

Conventional user interfaces  resort often  use  of  scrolling  to  display  content  that  cannot  be displayed  on one screen. In  touch-screen interfaces used by the elders this technique should be avoid, not only by their declining working memory that may cause the losing of the context of the task but also because using scroll bars implies hand-eye coordination may be difficult to performing by some older users.

Example:

An example of scrolling use in a touch-screen interface that should be avoid.

Source:

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults,2010
Designing touch-based interfaces for the elderly,2010
Touch Screens for the Older User,2011
Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project,2012

Tags:

Content, Elderly,Layout, Memory, Motor, Screen, Scrolling, Windows.

G68 – Use icons along with labels. Icons should be simple and meaningful; text incorporated with the icon when possible.

Guideline:

Use icons along with labels. Icons should be simple and meaningful; text incorporated with the icon when possible.

Guideline Description:

The use of symbolic icons helps in the use of applications by older adults, essentially the older adults that present problems in reading. For better design it is recommended the use of simple and meaningful icons, followed by some text whenever possible.

Example:

An example of an application with labels and icons in hte buttons.

Source:
Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010
Designing touch-based interfaces for the elderly,2010
Design Principles to Accommodate Older Adults,2012
Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project,2012

Tags:

Accessibility,Content, Elderly, Graphics, Icons, Layout.

G67 – Remove user interface elements calling attention as soon as they are not needed.

Guideline:

Remove user interface elements calling attention as soon as they are not needed.

Guideline Description:

Animations are examples of interface elements that call attention of the user. In the case of older adults it is difficult ignore the distractions caused by this element. For this reason, animations and other similar interfaces elements that calls attention should be removed.

Example:

An example of an animation that should be avoid.

Source:

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010

Tags:

Animation,Content, Elderly, Layout.

G66 – Remove unnecessary information from the interface.

Guideline:

Remove unnecessary information from the interface.

Guideline Description:

Only essential information should be displayed in the user interface. Irrelevant elements not only may distracting older adults but also may cause forgetfulness of the task proposed.

Example:

An example of an application without irrelevant information.

Source:

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010
Designing touch-based interfaces for the elderly,2010
Design Principles to Accommodate Older Adults,2012
Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project,2012

Tags:

Content, Elderly, Information, Layout.

G65 – Concentrate information on the center of the screen.

Guideline:

Concentrate information on the center of the screen.

Guideline Description:

Reducing od peripheral vision is common in the older adults, this impairment may affect  the viewing of  some details in the sides in the screen.  So, information should be concentrate near of the center of the screen.

Example:

Identification of the center of the screen ( red color) in a user interface as best place to displaying content.

Source: 

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010
Designing touch-based interfaces for the elderly,2010
Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project,2012

Tags:

Content, Design, Elderly, Information, Layout,  Screen.

G57 – Avoid irrelevant information.

Guideline:

Avoid irrelevant information.

Guideline Description:

Older adults have difficulty dealing with simultaneous tasks or multi-tasking, due to their declining in working memory. This decline is also responsible for a low capability in ignoring irrelevant information, so should be avoid displaying irrelevant information.

Example:

An example of an application without irrelevant information.

Source:

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010
Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project,2012
Designing touch-based interfaces for the elderly,2010

Tags:

Content, Elderly, Layout, Memory.

G55 – Present a single message in a single screen.

Guideline:

Present a single message in a single screen.

Guideline Description:

A screen of an application should not be overfilled with information. Ideally, a single message should be displayed in a single screen.

Example:

An example of an application using a single message in a single screen .

 Illustration adapted from An Exploratory Study of a Touch-Based Gestural Interface for Elderly

Source:

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010
Design Principles to Accommodate Older Adults,2012

Tags:

Communication, Content, Elderly, Layout, Screen.

G54 – Use simple phrasing.

Guideline:

Use simple phrasing.

Guideline Description:

Elderly people group presents in general a low academic education level, for this reason,  the language employed in the user interfaces should be as simple as possible, in order to attenuating  perceptual  and cognitive difficulties.

Example:

Example of an user interface with simple phrasing.

Source:

Healthcare TV Based User Interfaces for Older Adults, 2010

Tags:

Communication, Content,  Elderly, Layout,  Text.

G43 – Different physical properties have to be considered while designing the interface (e.g. size of buttons).

Guideline:

Different  physical  properties have  to  be  considered  while  designing  the  interface  (e.g. size  of  buttons).

Guideline Description:

Different users have different physical characteristics.  The different  physical  properties should be considered  in the design of the  interface  (e.g. size  of  buttons).

Example:

An example of a touch-screen interface, with large buttons.

Source:

Challenges for Designing the User Experience of  Multi-touch Interfaces, 2010
Touch Screens for the Older User,2011
Touch Screen User Interfaces for Older Adults: Button Size and Spacing,2007

Tags:

Buttons,Challenge,Content, Elderly, Layout,Motor, Multi-touch, Target Design.