web accessibility for older users andrew arch web accessibility and ageing specialist w3c web...

Web Accessibility for Older Users

Andrew ArchWeb Accessibility and Ageing Specialist

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

15 May 2009 Older Web Users Seminar - NDA/CEUD, Dublin 2

Overview

• W3C and WAI

• A changing world

• Web usability and WAI Guidelines

• Opportunities


World Wide Web Consortium - W3C

Leading the Web to Its Full Potential...

• International vendor-neutral consortium

• Evolution and interoperability of the Web:for everyone, everywhere on everything

• Operates from: MIT, ERCIM, and Keio

• Develops key Web technologies such as:HTML, CSS, XML, SVG, SMIL, ...

http://www.csail.mit.edu/

http://www.ercim.org/

http://www.keio.ac.jp/


Web Accessibility Initiative - WAI

• Accessibility support in W3C technologies

• Guidelines for implementing accessibility

• Methods for evaluating accessibility

• Conducting education and outreach

• Coordinating with R&D world-wide

www.w3.org/WAI/

http://www.w3.org/WAI/


WAI-AGE project

EC funded project focused on:• Better understanding the needs of the

ageing community

• Working with the ageing community

• Developing educational materials

• Pursuing standards harmonisation


Demographic Changes

The world is getting older

• UN prediction is that by 2050 one out of every five people will be over 60 years

• Some countries will experience greater ageing than others


Demographic Changes

Ageing Populations

0

510

15

20

2530

35

40

2010 2020 2030 2040

Year

Per

cen

tag

e

US EU Japan


Abilities Change

• Vision decline– Affects screen and keyboard use

• Hearing decline– Affects multimedia use

• Dexterity decline – Affects mouse and keyboard use

• Cognitive decline– Affects navigation and comprehension


Abilities Change

Proportion affected:• Vision decline

– 16% of 65-74 years; 46% of over 85 years

• Hearing decline– 19% of 61-80 years; 75% of over 80 years

• Dexterity decline (arthritis)– 50% of over 65 years

• Cognitive decline (dementia)– 1.4% of 65-69 years; 25% of over 85 years


Attitude & aptitude

• Pew Internet’s latest US survey shows a large increase in over 70s going online

• Older people undertake similar activities online as younger people

• Experience is important in understanding older people’s requirements

We need to consider the whole ICT experience, not just the Web content


Who’s online?

Presentation included photo of 85 year old women using a laptop for email


What age groups?

Australia 2006 15-24 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+

79% 77% 67% 47% 28%

Spain 2006 16-24 45-54 55-64 65-74

89% 52% 26% 8%

UK 2008 16-24 45-54 55-64 65+

93% 78% 63% 26%

USA 2008 (est) 18-24 45-54 55-64 65-75 76+

89% 79% 66% 49% 27%


Ageing workforce

With an ageing population, we also have ageing employees:

• People are choosing to keep working• Government is encouraging people to work longer• Lifelong learning is important

Age-related impairments can be experienced while still employed


Literature reviewed

Literature review included:• Discussions of functional limitations

• Usability studies of older users

• Studies focused on particular limitations

• Studies looking at specific aspects of websites

• Reports on training older users in Web access


Web usability

• General usability factors were reported as particularly important, e.g.– Too much material present– Distracting advertisements and other

movement– Unclear hypertext navigation options– Changing navigation schemes and page

layouts across the Web– Presentational aspects

WAI Guidelines help


Components of Web Accessibility


Web content

• Compiled requirements for older users– Concentrate on usable accessibility– Largely overlooked technical accessibility

• Analysis showed that most requirements met by WCAG 2.0


WCAG 2.0 examples

• Presentation aspects covered– Large fonts by default– Left justification– Spacing (sentences, lines and columns)– High contrast – Use proper case– Link visibility– Movement on the page


WCAG 2.0 Examples continued

• Navigation– Consistent navigation– Linking to the ‘home page’– Providing ‘breadcrumbs’– Providing a whole-site search function

• Forms– Providing instructions for form completion– Accommodating misspellings and common

variations – Providing clear error messages


WCAG 2.0 techniques

WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria have:

• Sufficient Techniques – minimum requirements

• Advisory Techniques – additional improvements

• Common Failures – often encountered mistakes


Web authoring

• Surfers are becoming authors– User generated content is increasing– Older people are blogging, sharing photos, writing

reviews, and using social networking sites• Older employees may need to use CMSs

– Ageing related impairments can be experienced well before retirement

– Governments are raising retirement age

• ATAG applies to all authoring tools– including web-based Blogs and Wikis


Web browsing

• Simplified interfaces help new older users

• Adaptive strategies not adopted– Hidden deep in the browser

• Accommodation needs to be made easy

• UAAG has a role to play


Browser importance

• Simplified interfaces help learning

• User Agent Accessibility Guidelines call for configurability– Opportunity to contribute to new version– Ensure older people’s needs are considered


Assistive technology

• Older people often deny disability

• Supporters don’t know about assistive technology

• Assistive technology can be very complicated

• Again, UAAG has an role to play– Configurability applies to assistive technology too


Research opportunities

• Impact of hearing loss and multimedia use

• Cognitive decline and page comprehension

• Text style and decoration preferences

• Navigation and menu style preferences


Research opportunities continued

• Noticing and understanding small page changes

• Use of social networking sites and applications

• Use of assistive technologies

• Older people with disabilities experiencing additional ageing-related impairments


Cognitive Decline

"I wish you were around here to show this geriatric how to really use the computer. Last night I was trying to get something I need via google and it nearly drove me crazy and I didn't get it in the end. So many things happen on it when i am doing ordinary things and I never know why it does them and I can't always sort it out.“

Andrew’s 83 year old aunt

Presentation also included a photo of Terry Pratchet who recently featured in a BBC documentary on Alzheimer's


Accessibility awareness… industry

Encouragement to better accommodate older users – Organizations need more education about benefits

– Web industry needs to understand the applicability of WAI Guidelines

– Developers need to understand the requirements

– Older people need to be included in the process

WAI-AGE will develop educational materials


Accessibility awareness … users

Older users and their supporting organizations– Increasing older users' awareness of the benefits

of Web accessibility

– Support with taking advantage of Web accessibility

– Help with identifying and reporting Web accessibility problems

– Support for promoting Web accessibility

WAI-AGE will develop supporting materials


Actions?

Contribute to an ability to age in place• Promote business case for industry to adopt

Web accessibility• Contact organisations with poor websites• Understand older users’ needs by involving older

people in the Web development process • Provide training and support for older users • Develop browsers and assistive technology that

can grow with the users’ needs• Get involved with standards development and

adoption


Progress is occurring

Presentation included a photo of William who, in his 70’s is the oldest participant on the WAI-AGE task force


Discussion

Contact Details:– Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

• www.w3.org/WAI/

– WAI-AGE Project• www.w3.org/WAI/WAI-AGE/

– Email• [email protected]

http://www.w3.org/WAI/

http://www.w3.org/WAI/WAI-AGE/

mailto:[email protected]

web accessibility for older users andrew arch web accessibility and ageing specialist w3c web...

Documents

web content slide

key web technologies

email slide

comprehension slide

changing world web usability

older peoples requirements

years hearing decline

vision decline