Enhancing Mobile Accessibility for Seniors

🚀 Is Tech Ageist? Let's Talk About It!  🎙️I recently had the incredible opportunity to join Sera Tajima on her podcast to discuss a critical issue: How often do we truly consider our older users and their experiences in the tech world? Here are 8 actionable tips we discussed that can transform your approach to age-inclusive design: * Larger Fonts & High Contrast: Ensure readability for all users. * Clear Instruction Text: Guide users through their journey effortlessly. * Large Clickable Elements: Make navigation intuitive with clear CTAs. * Confirmation Messages: Provide reassurance after actions are taken. * Explicit Text Over Icons: Enhance understanding and usability. * Clear Labels Above Input Fields: Simplify data entry processes. * Break Down Complex Tasks: Simplify user interactions into manageable steps. * Avoid Auto-Playing Content: Respect user control and preferences. 💡 These simple yet impactful design choices can significantly improve the digital experience for older adults, fostering inclusion and accessibility.🔍 Join the Conversation! What are your thoughts on designing for older users? Have you implemented any of these strategies? Share your experiences or questions below!🎧 Listen to the full episode for more insights from our discussion here: https://lnkd.in/dcEwAbXX #InclusiveDesign #TechForAll #UserExperience #AgeismInTech #Accessibility #Podcast

I was recently Featured in an article in @UX Designers.io about "How Has User Feedback Altered Design Approaches in UX" . More specifically, I discussed approaches in Prioritizing Elderly User Accessibility in Healthcare IT. In short, and for successful engagement, user-centered design is at the heart of our human-focused digital transformation consulting practice. As an example, though perhaps obvious, here's a powerful reminder of its importance and that you shouldn't assume anything until you have tested with the user group.: We designed what we thought was a sleek patient portal for appointment scheduling. User testing, however, exposed a crucial issue: elderly patients struggled with the limited text and small icons. Their feedback? Bigger fonts, increased color contrast, and clear labels were essential. This flipped our approach. Functionality became the priority. The redesigned portal featured larger buttons, step-by-step instructions, and even voice-activated search. Usability testing showed a dramatic increase in successful bookings, especially among seniors. Key takeaway: Design for ALL users, not just the tech-savvy. In healthcare IT, user feedback isn't a suggestion, it's the foundation for successful patient engagement. Our designs should empower, not frustrate, the people who rely on them most. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences https://lnkd.in/gbDS62BS #healthcareIT #userexperience #designthinking #accessibility #seniorcare

Most of us use our mobile devices a lot. You might be using a smartphone right now to read this post. We surveyed Fable community members and found many are on their mobile devices for more than 4 hours a day (41%). Another 23% spend 2 to 4 hours per day on mobile devices. With that much mobile usage, accessibility of native mobile apps is just as important as web accessibility. However, many app developers find mobile accessibility more challenging. There’s less guidance on how to build inclusive iOS and Android apps. Rather than look to standards for guidance, we can focus on avoiding the most common barriers assistive technology users encounter on smartphones and other mobile devices. Based on our community survey, those top barriers are: * Unlabelled buttons or links  * Small buttons or links  * Gestures required to interact  * Parts of the screen blocked * No error messages * Not able to resize text * Not able to pinch and zoom These aren’t hard things to fix. Label things. Design bigger touch targets. Use buttons or custom actions in addition to gestures. Be careful using sticky content. Include error messages in forms. Choose scalable or dynamic type so users can adjust text size. Don’t disable pinch to zoom. You can read the full mobile insights article here: https://lnkd.in/g3mGErmf My favorite resources for mobile accessibility are appt.org and magentaa11y.com. Apple and Android have solid documentation too: https://lnkd.in/gbfwBVFD https://lnkd.in/g9XH3yXf