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Welcome to

@austindesignweek

@atxdesignweek

#ADW18 #OpenDoors

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Designing for�older audiences

Austin Design Week — November 7th, 2018

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Schedule

Presentation
Workshop
Q&A
Resources

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Who we are

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The team

INTRODUCTION

Ava DeVoe

Visual Designer

Matthew Stephens

VP of Design

Sarah Kettles

UX Researcher

Marivi Carlton

UX/UI Designer

Caryn Ligon

Front-end Engineer

Jeff Beckham

Managing Editor

Nate Rodriguez

UX Researcher

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INTRODUCTION

Why this is important

“For the first time in U.S history, older adults are projected to outnumber children by 2030.”

Source: United States Census Bureau

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As designers, it’s often easy to forget about older audiences, especially when it comes to digital experiences & technology in general.

But consider this: by 2030, for the first time in U.S. history, there will be just as many people over the age of 65 as there are children under the age of 18. This is, in large part, due to the aging baby boomer generation. The oldest baby boomers started turning 65 back in 2011, and many of them have already retired. By 2030, all of the baby boomers will be over 65. Combine that with our increasing life expectancy (~79 years in the U.S.) and it’s easy to see why this segment is so important.

With 20.3 percent of the population expected to be age 65 and older in 2030, I think it’s more important than ever to focus our design efforts on this often underserved group. I also believe that, as designers, we have a moral responsibility to create inclusive, accessible experiences for everyone.��And besides being the right thing to do, it’s also critical from a business perspective. The average age of a Zebra user is around 40 with roughly 30% over the age of 50. Having a product that’s not accessible to 30% of our customers would mean excluding one of our most valuable segments.

So how do we make sure that these people are part of the conversation?

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Research

“The starting point for our decisions.”� — Marivi

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“Your insurance game is on point!”

RESEARCH

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RESEARCH

Issues research can help uncover

Content that doesn’t make sense�
Text and colors that are hard to see�
Audio in videos that is hard to hear�
Product features that are difficult to use

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You cannot understand a lived experience of another without going �to the source of a person who has actually lived that experience.

Tell stories through real people.

RESEARCH

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RESEARCH

Manual testing

Remove barriers of recruiting�for usability�
Test solutions for �known issues�
Create an inclusive, comprehensive understanding of deficiencies

Can be done in-house,�or comprehensively�with outside vendors

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RESEARCH

Best practices

Don’t show or tell how to get through a flow or advance to next steps�
Observe points of frustration and triumph with your participants�
Utilize participant devices as much as possible�
Record and revisit interviews�
Ask for clarification and for demonstration of any specialized equipment up front�

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How The Zebra�is designing for�older audiences

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Impairments

Vision

Hearing

Physical

Cognitive

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Vision

Reduced contrast sensitivity�
Reduced color perception�
Reduced near-focus — making it difficult to read web pages

IMPAIRMENT

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Vision

Use good color contrast.
Use legible fonts at legible sizes.
Let people adjust text size themselves.
Always test using screen readers

THE ZEBRA’S SOLUTION

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Hearing

Difficulty hearing higher-pitched sounds�
Difficulty separating sounds, like background music

IMPAIRMENT

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Hearing

Providing captions on the videos we produce�
Provide multiple contact options, in addition to�phone calls.

THE ZEBRA’S SOLUTION

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Physical

Reduced motor control�
Harder to use a mouse and click on small targets

IMPAIRMENT

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Physical

Ensure clickable elements to be large enough with plenty of space around them�
Ensure forms are easy to use without a mouse�
Give users plenty of time to complete a task

THE ZEBRA’S SOLUTION

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Cognitive

Difficulty concentrating, making it harder to complete online tasks
Reduced short-term memory
Shorter attention spans
Slower information processing

IMPAIRMENT

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The science of cognition is a huge topic, and ageing changes how we think in unpredictable ways. Some people are razor-sharp in their 80s, while others decline as early as in their 60s. Despite this variability, three areas are particularly relevant to designing for the elderly: memory, attention, and decision-making.

There are different kinds of memory, and they’re affected differently by the ageing process. For example, procedural memory (that is, remembering how to do things) is generally unaffected. People of all ages are able to learn new skills and reproduce them over time.

But other types of memory suffer as we age. Short-term memory and episodic memory are particularly vulnerable. And, although the causes are unclear, older people often have difficulty manipulating the contents of their working memory. This means that they may have trouble understanding how to combine complex new concepts in a product or interface.

Prospective memory (remembering to do something in the future) also suffers. This is particularly relevant for habitual tasks, like remembering to take medication at the right time every day.

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SCOPE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Cognitive

Provide shortcuts when possible
Use a combination of color, shapes and text to convey meaning
Save user’s progress, to avoid time constraints.
During longer tasks, give clear feedback on progress and reminders of goals.

�

THE ZEBRA’S SOLUTION

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Copywriting

Whenever possible, omit needless or redundant words

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Use plain language.

COPYWRITING

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Write short sentences�with familiar words.

COPYWRITING

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Avoid jargon, slang,�and unfamiliar acronyms.

COPYWRITING

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Write like a human.

COPYWRITING

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Front-end

The final step.

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WCAG

�Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

FRONTEND

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Perceivable

COPYWRITING

Web content is made available to the senses�— sight, hearing, and/or touch.�

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Operable

COPYWRITING

Interface forms, controls, and navigation are operable.�

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Understandable

COPYWRITING

Content and interface are understandable.�

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Robust

COPYWRITING

Robust content can be used reliably by a wide variety�of user agents, including assistive technologies.

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Workshop

Sarah — UX Researcher

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WORKSHOP

Workshop Agenda

Step into another’s shoes (10 minutes)
Use your learnings (10 minutes)
Synthesis & Questions (10 minutes)

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Austin Design Week 2019

Make space for another point of view

Use the glasses on the table and partner up

Try funkify.org to simulate within web pages�

Test different glasses with websites you visit often

What about your experience is great?
What about your experience is poor?�

How might you make space for accessibility ��

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WORKSHOP

Step into another’s shoes (10 minutes)

Use the glasses on your table and partner up

Try funkify.org to simulate within web pages�

Test different glasses with websites we’ve provided

What about your experience is great?
What about your experience is poor?�

Practice asking questions of your partner as if you were interviewing them for research��

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WORKSHOP

Websites to try

Austin Public Library: library.austintexas.gov

Airbnb (try the iOS app if you have it): www.airbnb.com

Parramatta Park: www.parapark.com.au

Expedia: www.expedia.com�
Senior living: https://www.seniorliving.org/

Your own company’s website, or another site �you use frequently

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WORKSHOP

Use your learnings (10 minutes)

Set the glasses aside & revisit the list of sites

Use funkify.org to simulate within web pages�

Work together with a partner to go through sites using the principles discussed today�
Uncover potential accessibility issues & document them. Note if you find something accessible & inspiring!�
Discuss your findings at your table�

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WORKSHOP

Websites to try

Austin Public Library: library.austintexas.gov

Airbnb (try the iOS app if you have it): www.airbnb.com

Parramatta Park: www.parrapark.com.au

Expedia: www.expedia.com�
Senior living: https://www.seniorliving.org/

Your own company’s website, or another site �you use frequently

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WORKSHOP

Synthesis: What did you learn? (5 minutes)

Let’s discuss what we learned today�
How might you incorporate accessible design,�research and development into your work?�
What questions do you still have?�

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Q&A

design@thezebra.com

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Resources

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RESOURCES

Build your own Empathy Lab using these resources�

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Thank You!

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Thanks for attending!

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bit.ly/ADW18survey