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Usability For Older Web Users
 by: Tim Fidgeon

According to the 2001 UK census (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2287650.stm), the UK now has more people aged over 60 than under 16. It also revealed that there are now 1.1 million people aged over 85.

Webcredible recently analysed and compared the results of 16 usability testing sessions - 8 of these sessions were conducted with elderly users (i.e. over the age of 65), and 8 with younger users (i.e. under the age of 40).

The 40-minute ‘talk-aloud’ sessions involved asking participants to find information on a range of government websites.

Assigning blame

Setting up a survey on your site is extremely simple and many times just as beneficial, for two main reasons. One, they let you create a more interactive website for your visitor. Choose interesting topics, poll opinions on recent events related to your site, and people will participate to find out what other people on your site think. Second, if you write your surveys in a way that keeps them interesting and useful to yourself you can gather important information about your visitors in order to build a site better tailored to their interests.

STEP 1: Set Up The Software

Computers, Internet, Web sites?what do they all mean? Hey, you’re probably not a technophobe, I mean you own a microwave right? Just push a few buttons and the food cooks itself-easy. Now, they tell you the best way to share information, have a business, and generally communicate in life, are on the Web. I don’t know about you but for me the Web conjures up visions of a giant spider whose sole intention is to turn me into a tasty appetizer. Computers scare me. People say they’re the tool of the future, but I find them to be quite alien, especially compared to my lawnmower! All the technical jargon associated with these machines, it’s like you have to have a university degree in Information Technology just to turn one on.

Learning difficulties & web accessibility
 by: Tim Fidgeon

Accessibility is about making it as easy as possible for all members of society to fully take part in that society. It is about removing barriers. It is about inclusion and empowerment. It is about creating the sort of world that we all want to live in - a message that should resonate with us all.

Where the UK government stands

This year, the UK government gave “a clear commitment to ensuring that all government websites and online services present no barriers to use for those with disabilities” (source: http://www.strategy.gov.uk/downloads/work_areas/digital_strategy/report/index.htmConnecting the UK). It has also promised “a renewed focus on the use of e-inclusion as a route to social inclusion” (source: http://www.socialexclusion.gov.uk/page.asp?id=583Office of the Deputy Prime Minister).