Thinking about our approach to expanding accessibility of UX design for older adults today. And perhaps a case for why it should not be an afterthought.

I worked on a project where older adults were the main audience for this particular healthtech tool. While doing research to better understand the population’s attitudes and use of healthtech, I read about a number of obstacles that older adults face when adopting new technology.

The mind immediately jumps to barriers related to physical conditions, specifically visual impairments. But there may be other physical limitations like auditory, fine motor dexterity, or cognitive acuity as well.

Another set of barriers may be psychological, including being confident in their level of technical savvy, perception of the cost-benefit of the learning curve, and trust/security. The Baby Boomer generation is currently wrapping up their time in the workforce, moving on to retirement. Folks in this generation were about in their 20’s when home computers became available in the 1980’s. Even still, only about 15% of American households had a computer by the end of the decade. It wasn’t a generation that grew up with technology. While many have learned to adapt with the changing technology, many still struggle.

Other barriers may stem from social or cultural roots. Do they have someone that can help them engage with, understand, or troubleshoot new technology? Do they have a community they are more likely to trust for health information and encouragement than a seemingly impersonal app? Perhaps a visit to a healthcare facility is the only opportunity for social interaction they may have that day or week.

And sometimes, the barrier is in the technology itself. I cannot begin to describe how frustrating it is to help scale up the text size on devices my older relatives are using so they can read the content clearly. Instead of being easier to understand and navigate, apps become nearly unusable because they didn’t factor into the design that a user might need and opt for a larger font size. The UI simply breaks.

These are just a scratch on the surface on the generational divide in technology.

So, with this in mind, I wonder… will the healthtech we create today age with us?

Each generation gets increasingly connected to digital spaces. Being part of the millennial generation, I feel as though much of the technology I see today is built by and for digital natives like myself and the generational cohorts that follow.

Someday, each generation will age out of the workforce. We will encounter our own barriers – some the same, some different. If we are creating digital tools for our understanding of tech today, will we be prepared to use these tools when we ourselves become the older adult population?

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Interested in partnering? Let’s talk to see how I can help you create a comfortable digital health experience. Drop me a note at evy.haan@gmail.com.

Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash