Feature story by Shane Fleming.

Preparing the web for the silver tsunami

Web surfing, skyping, googling, blogging, etc. are expressions that are an integral part of everyday language and conversation nowadays. Yet, the World Wide Web is barely a generation old.

Its impact on commerce, education, politics and communication has been unprecedented and unheralded. The arrival of broadband internet connectivity has accelerated the ubiquity of the internet in recent years and promises even greater potential for development in the areas mentioned above.

One of the surprise developments of internet use in recent years is the number of older people who are online. According to online marketing trade publisher iMedia, more than 43 million users of the World Wide Web in 2005 were over 50 years old, up 21 per cent on the previous year. 

Internet monitoring company Hitwise says that 14 per cent of adult surfers are over 55 and are set to overtake 35-44 year olds. And the growth in numbers of 65+ internet users in the U.K. in the past year has been a whopping 60 per cent, according to the Oxford Internet Survey. A recent Ofcom report showed that over 55's now spend four hours more online per month than 18-24 year olds!

According to research, senior citizens who are using the Web find that it offers many benefits, including: socialization; learning new skills; researching special interests; staying informed of current events; personal financial management; developing online companionship; shopping; keeping in touch with family and friends; and assisting people who are homebound or disabled.

Are there implications from having such a fast growing demographic online?

For one thing, it is becoming recognised by commercial entities that have an online presence. These companies increasingly seek to target specific demographics by tailoring their advertising accordingly. Pharmaceutical publication Pharmalive says that companies are now spending more than 30 per cent of their marketing budgets on targeting older people online.

Closer to home, Age Concern report that 49% of adults over 60 in two-person households in Britain access the internet from their homes. Tyneside entrepreneur Andy Symonds launched his latest business, PC Checker, that offers senior citizens a ten per cent discount on his rates for repairing and servicing personal computers at home. According to Symonds, older people are a fast growing customer base for this service.

According to research by Future Foundation, the online shopping market is set to grow to £60 billion by 2010. They say retailers could be throwing away billions if they ignore the 'silver surfers.'

Are there particular considerations involved when targeting older people?

Kara Pernice, an expert in the field of usability studies, has led and co-authored reports on studies of web usability for senior citizens and making the web easy to use for people with disabilities. In an interview for this article, she makes a number of salient observations based on her extensive experience of usability research.

For example, she says that seniors have a problem with websites that have very poor contrast between the text and the background. Where someone in their twenties might just have to look twice or stare at a word a little bit longer, a senior may never be able to read it or may take a long time to read it.

Also, web sites with small or difficult to read text or unclear navigation put older people off, Pernice says. Tackling usability issues for groups such as senior citizens or for people with disabilities helps everyone, she adds.

Conclusions

With large profits and with important issues at stake, sites such as home banking, online investment management, and social networking sites that will not attract seniors are unlikely to prosper.

Googling “silversurfers” brings a host of links through sites such as SilverSurfers.net. Many of these links concern age-related issues like welfare benefits, healthcare, medicines and health issues like diet and exercise. They also raise awareness about age discrimination in employment and government legislation and regulations.

Included in the briefs of several of these sites are issue-related agendas where visitors are urged to lobby for equality of treatment in specific areas. With two out of three of those coming up to retirement now using the web, according to Future Foundation, silver surfers are a potential lobby few in government or public service can afford to ignore.