How Age Affects A11Y
NET|Summer 2018

Hilary Stephenson discusses the importance of ensuring older users aren’t discriminated against in our increasingly digital society

Hilary Stephenson
How Age Affects A11Y

As a nation, we’re living longer than ever before and, as a result, the number of older people in the UK is on the rise. However, despite technology playing an increasingly significant role in our society, we’re currently not doing enough to digitally engage this growing demographic.

According to a 2018 Office for National Statistics statistical bulletin on UK internet users, the proportion of older people using the internet has risen rapidly since 2011, but there’s still a long way to go. As it stands, the Centre for Ageing Better found that the over-55 age group makes up 94 per cent of those who’ve never been online.

As vital services become digitised, transforming the way we shop, manage money and pay bills, online will become a quality-of-life necessity, not a choice. For example, research from Age UK found that more than two-fifths of local councils (41 per cent) admit their housing benefits and council tax reduction – vital sources of financial support – can solely be accessed online. This begs the question: are we excluding older users as technological innovations propel the rest of us forward?

WHY ARE OLDER PEOPLE BEING LEFT BEHIND?

While age can result in conditions that hinder our ability to use tech and digital services – according to the disability charity Scope, nearly half (45 per cent) of us will experience such a change – in many cases it’s actually poor design that exacerbates the issue of digital exclusion, alongside misconceptions around age and technology. Let’s take a closer look at some of these myths.

MYTH 1: OLDER USERS DON’T WANT TO EMBRACE DIGITAL

Denne historien er fra Summer 2018-utgaven av NET.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Summer 2018-utgaven av NET.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA NETSe alt
Camille Gribbons
NET

Camille Gribbons

UX designer at Booking.com, Camille Gribbons reveals how she first got into the industry

time-read
7 mins  |
June 2020
THE 5G UI REVOLUTION
NET

THE 5G UI REVOLUTION

Tris Tolliday describes his vision of a web UI catapulted forwards by 5G

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR DEV SKILLS
NET

HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR DEV SKILLS

Aude Barral shares 5 top tips for landing your dream developer job

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
KNIVES OUT
NET

KNIVES OUT

Murder mystery film, Knives Out, grabbed everyone’s attention, and so did the fun website that promoted it. Oblio tells Tom May how it created its innovative 3D navigation

time-read
6 mins  |
June 2020
HOW EMOTIONAL LABOUR HINDERS WOMEN IN TECH
NET

HOW EMOTIONAL LABOUR HINDERS WOMEN IN TECH

Christine Brewis, head of digital marketing at Studio Graphene, discusses how gender parity in tech has changed over the last ten years, and what more can be done

time-read
5 mins  |
June 2020
EDAN KWAN
NET

EDAN KWAN

He swapped life as a singer for a career making eye-popping digital visuals. The Lusion founder chats to Tom May about battling demons, winning awards and where digital advertising is heading

time-read
8 mins  |
June 2020
ANDREW COULDWELL
NET

ANDREW COULDWELL

The Brit in LA discusses his new book on design systems, Laying the Foundations

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
Top 5 Tips For Ensuring Web Content Is Accessible For All
NET

Top 5 Tips For Ensuring Web Content Is Accessible For All

Merlyn Meredith outlines five top tips for ensuring web content is accessible for all

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BROWSERS?
NET

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BROWSERS?

Nico Turco examines the state of play with browsers, whether developers should encourage diversity or monopoly and how Google fits into it all

time-read
6 mins  |
May 2020
YEARS IN THE MAKING
NET

YEARS IN THE MAKING

Exclusively for net: The latest in a series of anonymous accounts of nightmare clients

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020