Survey for Elderly Citizens regarding online library application

[studentem]

I am a student in my 3rd year of university

I am currently designing a book library web application with elderly people in mind.

If you are willing, please answer the questions below:

1) Do you prefer larger or smaller text?

2) What level of functionality would you want the application to have? (example: simple but easy to understand or complicated but wide range of functions)

3) What do you prefer when it comes to colour themes? (example: bright, vibrant colours or dulled colours)

4) Do you prefer your text to be coloured or basic black? If coloured, what colour?

5) Do you prefer more or less contrast in colours?

6) Do you prefer buttons to be closely grouped or further apart?

If there are any points I have missed in this survey that you feel are important to mention, please do not hesitate to include them.

Thank you for your time.

[Sue]

How do you define "elderly" ???? :))

Also, would it not be preferable to give some actual (visual) examples of the options you are talking about?

I'm probably elderly, and have no idea what you are talking about in practical terms re level of functionality.

I am not quite sure what you mean by a "book library web application", either. Is this to borrow actual physical books, or to borrow books to read on a Kindle or similar?

And it is possible to change text size at the user end, surely.

And why would anybody want less contrast in colours? It just makes things harder to read.

And how close is "closely grouped"? Where would the buttons be on the page?

I do think you need to provide actual examples!

[Lynne]

I agree with Sue completely. I'm "elderly" and was/am a librarian but though I'm willing to answer the questionaire, I don't understand quite a lot of your questions. Especially question 2. I think you're using terms that your market is not as familiar with as you are.

There has been a lot of research, from at leas the 70s and 80s onwards, about colour, font and sizes for legibility for text and book layout, and it was shown that black/white was the clearest.

[sjsl]

Yes, as a probably elderly person, I agree with these comments. There is plenty of information out there re making communications of any kind, including websites, clear and legible. And yes, it should be possible for the user to control the text size, making it larger if necessary.

Your research might be helped by talking to relevant groups such as Help the Aged, RNIB etc. From September 2020, Web Accessibility Regulations build on existing obligations for public sector websites and apps to be accessible, the RNIB has a factsheet on this which might be useful.

[siousxiesue]

You need to make this into a SurveyMonkey type questionnaire with example pages

studentem Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I am a student in my 3rd year of university

> I am currently designing a book library web

> application with elderly people in mind.

>

> If you are willing, please answer the questions

> below:

>

> 1) Do you prefer larger or smaller text?

>

> 2) What level of functionality would you want the

> application to have? (example: simple but easy to

> understand or complicated but wide range of

> functions)

>

> 3) What do you prefer when it comes to colour

> themes? (example: bright, vibrant colours or

> dulled colours)

>

> 4) Do you prefer your text to be coloured or basic

> black? If coloured, what colour?

>

> 5) Do you prefer more or less contrast in

> colours?

>

> 6) Do you prefer buttons to be closely grouped or

> further apart?

>

> If there are any points I have missed in this

> survey that you feel are important to mention,

> please do not hesitate to include them.

>

> Thank you for your time.