Re: internet usage by people over 60

Hi John,

You may be missing the point of the work Roger does. It is not about
teaching the elderly how to use the web or write web pages, but
acknowledgement that there are clinical effects of normal aging that
may affect the accessibility needs to people. Take
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/medical-conditions/a-z-of-medical-conditions/ageing/clinical-features/#sensory-eyes
for an obvious example.

As Roger says in the post he linked to, his 'paper will also outline
some of the issues older web users have with font size and colour',
issues that have nothing to do with familiarity with the web, and the
post also states that his research is based on surveys completed by
groups of people over 60, 93% of whom use the web every day.

Given this, the title of the paper is accurate, and I think will be
understood by, and appeal to, most people in Roger's likely audience.

Regards,

Ian.

On 1 March 2011 09:23, John Colby <John.Colby@bcu.ac.uk> wrote:
> Some of us elderly (born 1950) have been using the web and writing web pages
> since 1993, since the web came into being publicly in the UK, introducing
> web usage into companies where we have worked, and now are in change of web
> teaching for Faculties and Universities and lead on web development.
>
> I am not alone.
>
> The title of your paper would encourage me not to read it.
>
> John
>
> John Colby BA PGCE
> Senior Lecturer, Business Skills Enhancement, Department of Accountancy and
> Finance
> Room F100, Feeney Building, Birmingham City University,
> City North Campus, Perry Barr, Birmingham B42 2SU
> T: +44 (0) 121 331 6937 M: 07872 559800
>
> Blog http://johncolby.wordpress.com/
> Tweeting at http://twitter.com/JohnColby and http://twitter.com/BCUBusiness
>
> ________________________________
> From: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org on behalf of Roger Hudson
> Sent: Tue 01/03/2011 09:02
> To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> Subject: internet usage by people over 60
>
> For those who might be interested I have posted the results of the recent
> online survey about how and why people over the age of sixty use the
> Internet and mobile (cell) phones.
> http://www.dingoaccess.com/accessibility/mature-age-ict-users-online-survey-results/
>
>
>
> I will be discussing the results of this research in a paper, “Improving Web
> Accessibility for the Elderly“, which I am presenting at CSUN 2011 on March
> 16.
> http://www.csunconference.org/index.cfm?EID=80000300&p=380&page=scheduledetail&LCID=4676&ECTID=0
>  The paper will also outline some of the issues older web users have with
> font size and colour, and canvass various options for how they might be
> addressed.
>
>
>
> Roger Hudson
>
> Web Usability
>
> Ph: 02 9568 1535
>
> Mb: 0405 320 014
>
> Email: rhudson@usability.com.au
>
> Web: www.usability.com.au
>
> Blog: www.dingoaccess.com
>
>
>
>

Received on Tuesday, 1 March 2011 09:53:23 UTC