How To Split An Atom

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For Sale:
Computer
Barely Used, only on Sundays by Grandma

The Baby boomer generation did not have a Silver Mouse placed into their chubby little hands, rather they grew up with White Out and Olympia typewriters. Most of them have grasped the new age and are sailing through like captains on a speeding space ship. But some are still lost in the wake of the tech rush. Some will say they just don’t get it, or that it’s useless when they have a phone and the daily paper. But have they told you that it is not designed for them? Would they admit that their hands are shakier, their eyes unable to focus on 9 pt grey type on a white background, and that holding a mouse really hurts their hands?

Being Old Costs More

Cost and the focus on the youth market has created a vacuum for the Aged Market. After searching on Google for ergonomic keyboards for the aged, I found that prices for the split keyboards run up to 3 times the cost of a simple keyboard. Being old costs more. When demand grows, will the cost come down to compete? Lets hope so. Design today concentrates on the young, while the “aged” niche is relegated to Lazy Boy chairs and snazzy colored walkers with built in baskets.

Seventy-six million American children were born between 1945 and 1964, representing a market that has buying power and is leading the way in politics, culture and academia. From skin care to healthcare to working past retirement age, this is a market that will not be ignored. But has anyone addressed what that market will need in computer hardware and software in ten years? How do we design for the aged?

Left in the Dust

As you age time moves faster and your learning curve is steeper. It would like speeding away and what you would glimpse in the rear view mirror is yourself waving back at you. At what point do we just stop and say “I’m sticking with IE6 because I know it”? You will stop when you are tired and really don’t care to compete anymore. We are safest with what we know even when it has its shortcomings. Youth is spent looking for the next best thing, maturity is spent with what works. We should be writing apps that are easy to understand, intuitive for the mind that is a bit slower and less patient. What would work for ages 3-6 would work just as well for ages 60+. Large type, bright colors and an easy UI. Click here. Save. Send.

Surfing Grannies

Granny surfs because she is in the age group that invented the internet, she’s got the tools and the know how. She is the one that will buy your product, use your apps and bookmark your site. If you build for her, she will be faithful and an evangelist for you. Leave the pack and start thinking now about that age group, they are waiting for you now.

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