Universal Accessibility Design and Support Considerations for an Aging Population Bill Gribbons, PhD, Director, Human Factors Program Bentley College Waltham, Massachusetts, USA Bentley

Overview Define universal accessibility Describe the aging population Discuss the characteristics and requirements of the aging population Discuss what is best practice in this area - both research and information design Make a business case for accommodating the needs of this rapidly expanding market Bentley

A Couple of Stories.. 1.“Harold, bring me my screwdriver” 2.Lost in IVR 3.“Two and a Half Popcorn” Bentley

Accessibility Our mission is to provide full and complete access to technology and information design through a deeper understanding of a disability. Through this understanding, the information designer provides appropriate performance support and design accommodations. We assume that the majority of these accommodations will improve usability for all users. Bentley

Aging Population The United States Census Bureau projects the number of people age fifty-five and older will grow by 73% by the year The over sixty-five population is anticipated to rise from 15.5% of the EU population in 1995 to 22.4% by Every day 6,000 Americans turn 65 Bentley

Bentley More Facts There are half a billion people age 50+ in the world today The world’s age 65+ population is increasing by 800,000 per month The number of the world’s 80+ is growing more rapidly than the elderly population as a whole. The United States has more than 9.2 million citizens who are age 80+ Half of the world’s oldest elderly (80+ years) live in six countries: China, the U.S., India, Japan, Germany, and Russia In developed regions, 74 percent of age 65+ individuals are urban dwellers

Bentley Opportunities Healthcare Retail Financial Services Transportation Telecommunications Government Consumers over 45 account for more than half the total consumer spending in the United States

The Sad Truth: Vision Hearing Motor Cognitive Aging is a dynamic disability with each individual experiencing the effects of aging to varying degrees As we age, our bodies start to change, physically and mentally Bentley Designing for our future selves

Vision Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration Presbyopia: beginning at the age of 45 Lens becomes less flexible Lens yellows Less light passes through the lens Lowered visual acuity Increased sensitivity to glare More susceptible to fatigue and eyestrain Disease and Age-related Decline Bentley

Accommodations Larger text sizes (12-14 point) in static displays Moderate to heavier weights: avoid kerning and condensed faces Easy access to changing size in dynamic displays Avoid violet, blue, light grays and green tones Increase contrast through higher brightness and saturation Avoid yellow in foreground (e.g., text) Avoid similar tones or variations of a single hue Maintain maximum contrast between foreground and background – no background textures Avoid fine details in typeface or illustration Bentley

Type Size Type style and weight Contrast Background Color Brightness Saturation Differential Color Combination Type on a textured background lowers Legibility for the elderly Allow easy re-sizing of type on the screen. In fixed displays, use 13 points or larger. Use heavier weights to increase contrast and avoid type faces with fine lines

Auditory Slow decline in sensitivity to high frequencies Lowered ability to discriminate between tones More susceptible to masking Decreased auditory selection: separating speech from ambient noise Bentley

Motor Increased occurrence of arthritis Decline in fine motor control, eye-hand coordination Increased time to complete motor tasks Increase the size of buttons, targets, and sensitivity zone Provide tactile feedback to confirm action Bentley

Cognitive Decline in working memory capacity Problematic in heavy workload situations such as decision-making, problem-solving, navigation, and learning Long-term memory is largely intact, barring disease Decrease in ability to differentiate between categories and complex terms Bentley

Accommodations Limit information to the essential Integrate the users’ mental models Headings should trigger existing models In learning applications, make links to existing knowledge Provide all information necessary to support decision-making in a single eye-scan Avoid recall tasks Self complete operations whenever possible Provide confirmation and feedback Support navigation through simple and known information architectures Employ persistent concept maps Maintain consistency Bentley

Conclusion Accessibility improves usability for all users Aging populations will represent a large, profitable market for technology products The design community should assume a leadership role in embracing and accommodating this population Bentley