What is Section 508 ?

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• Section 508 is an amendment to the Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973, signed into law by President Clinton in 1998.

• Section 508 requires that information technology that is developed by or purchased by the Federal Agencies be Accessible by people with disabilities.

54 million Americans has a disability, that’s 10% of the population (2000 U.S. Census)

• 10 million Americans are Vision impaired

• 20 million Americans are Hearing impaired

Why Accessible is important

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Vision Impaired

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Vision Impaired

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Vision Impaired

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How do they surf Web

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• Can not see the Screen

• Can not use the Mouse or Pointer system

• Can not use Keyboard

• Can not hear the Audio

Where do Seniors go?

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Where do Seniors go?

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Web Usability for Senior

Difference? Special Requirement?

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Web Usability for Senior

Difference? Special Requirement?

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Senior Web Usability Test by Nielsen Norman Group

Web Usability for Senior

Difference? Special Requirement?

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Result: Yes! Current websites are Twice as hard to use for seniors as for non-seniors

Senior Web Usability Test by Nielsen Norman Group

Why Usability is Lower for Seniors?

• Designer - Young design for senior - Design mental model(VMM)

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Why Usability is Lower for Seniors?

• Designer - Young design for senior - Design mental model(VMM)

• Seniors - Physical changes (vision, motor control, memory)

- Computer/Web experience - Older hardware and software

(resolution, browser, network)

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Best Practice 1/3

1 Physical Improvement• Readability – Font(>12pt), High contrast,

White space, short lines, consistent UI

• Motor Control – Large Links, Button, Menu, standard Scrolling (<2 screen)

• Memory – Navigation, Breadcrumb, Site map

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Best Practice 2/3

2 Computer / Web experience • Language - simple , 8th grade level

• Avoid using jargon, abbreviation

• Forggiving design - error,cancel,back

• Help & Contact number

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Best Practice 3/3

3 Older Computer Environment• Browser – support IE6, etc

• Screen resolution –liquid layout

• Connectivity – compress file size

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“Making your website Senior Friendly Checklist ”by National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Resources

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Subpage of National Institute on Aging website

Is NIA site Senior Friendly?

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Thank you !

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Thank you !

Questions?

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