What Different Generations Need From User-First Design

Designing for Tweens and Teens

Since the inception of the internet, the younger generations — especially teens and tweens — are the generations reinventing how the web works and how we use it. And if your brand is attempting to reach these audiences, there are some helpful ways to do just that.

While teens and tweens are certainly older than the child-age audience we mentioned previously, some of the principles of simplicity and easy-to-read fonts, colors, and navigation still apply. You’ll see this as a common thread for all generations.

But tweens and teens, naturally, have waning attention and want to invest their time into things that interest them and their needs most. On top of the standard accessibility needs, consider the following recommendations for this young audience:

• Keep content interesting and engaging, especially depending on the conversion or action you expect this audience to take. Likewise, write well. Nielsen Norman Group recommends keeping content to a sixth grade reading level for all generations to ensure literacy and readability for all.
• Avoid clutter, from content to design. Tweens and teens are the earliest adopters of new technology, especially on mobile devices, and they’re commonly multitasking across sites and applications. Keeping your content clear and uncluttered gives them the space to focus on what they need most.
• Bright colors can also be helpful for teens and tweens, especially if the message is the most important takeaway. Avoid overusing color and causing clutter, though, and keep call-to-actions and next steps clear and easy to see.
• Bridge the gap by incorporating social-like interaction with the site. Message boards and chatbots can be especially helpful for this audience, as they’re one of the highest texting audiences on mobile, according to Pew Research.

Designing for Adults

As the needs for children and teens rely on easy-to-follow colors, call-to-actions, and content — those guidelines are also recommended for young adults and adults.

Whether attempting to reach college-age audiences or professional 30-somethings, the common elements of great web design and content are integral to all age groups. Especially as more people pick up mobile devices like smartphones and tablets and rely on them for online browsing beyond their laptops and desktops.

We could break this group into Generation X and Millennials, but the truth is, many of those in these generations use websites in similar styles. By and large, these groups of adults are looking to complete a task online, find an answer to a question, or reach a company or brand for conversion.

Take these tips — which are common for all good website usability — when designing for adults:

• Follow accessibility guidelines from WCAG. Accessibility is about inclusivity. Make sure your design is functional for all users on all devices. From tabbing through content to contrast ratios, your web design should be easy to browse no matter the software or device from which it’s accessed.
• Be clear with conversion opportunities. A good rule of thumb is that you should have at least one call-to-action on every page. But ideally, make that call-to-action strong enough to stand out on its own. Generation X and Millennials are multitaskers by nature, but cluttering your page with too many tasks can make it easy to walk away. A clear call-to-action or conversion is essential.
• Invest in foundational SEO opportunities. Meta descriptions, page titles, and keyword-infused content is helpful for these generations, who often start their web experience on a search engine. In order to be found, take the time to draft unique page titles and meta descriptions to stand out from your competition.
• Navigation matters. Make navigation clear, simple, and use language that makes sense to your target audience. Avoid cliche or industry jargon terms, and be transparent about what the page will deliver before they click. The appearance of these menus, including dropdowns and mobile experiences, should be consistent no matter where a user travels on the site.
• Break up content and write to your audience, not over them. According to user studies, these groups are less likely to turn their cheek to longer-form content, especially if it’s written well. Simple content (skip the jargon and over-complicated formats) with easy-to-scan bulleted lists, paragraphs, and subheadings make it easy for these groups to understand the gist of what you’re trying to say. As early as 1997, Nielsen Norman Group was encouraging people to write succinctly, and user experience expert Gerry McGovern says the first rule of web experience is simplicity.

Designing for Older Adults and Seniors

Today’s older adults (typically referred to as Baby Boomers) and senior citizens are the least tech-savvy audiences on the web. However, this isn’t just regarding abilities, but also the common effects of aging, including vision and hearing loss and changes in dexterity.

According to a Nielsen Norman Group study, the success rate for completing online tasks for ages 65 and up was 55.3% – nearly 20% lower than the success rate for the same tasks among younger age groups.

However, because these generations weren’t raised with technology like today’s teens and Millennials, they are less likely to be nimble across smaller devices, like mobile phones, especially. Designing with these audiences in mind can make their experience more efficient and effective.

• Bigger is better. When designing for aging populations, tiny text doesn’t cut it. These groups are less likely to be browsing content on smartphones, where screens and fonts are naturally smaller. Instead, make sure the desktop experience offers a text size option and naturally uses a larger, sans serif font that can be easily read.
• Be clear. This is a great rule of thumb for all age groups. Make sure microcopy or instructional text is easy to understand, lacks jargon, and accurately describes what happens next, especially when providing sequential options.
• White space is key. Avoid crowding options, especially conversion opportunities or buttons, so that this audience can easily see and interact with the content on your site.
• Keep accessibility in top-of-mind. Hard-to-see colors should be avoided for all ages, but for aging users, it’s especially important that everything on your site is easy to see and interact with, no matter which page they’re on.
• Make contact information easy to find. Older generations are less likely to do all of their tasks online, and still prefer having an in-person method to reach out to when in need. A clearly visible phone number or “contact us” page in the navigation is essential. Even chatbots can be a helpful tool if they need help completing a task.
• Keep it simple. Aging users are less likely to be impressed with animations and flash. Background videos can be distracting for many users, and for this group, it’s best to keep things simple, easy to read and understand, and brief, if possible.

If you’re looking for other ways to bridge the gap with Baby Boomers, retirees and senior citizens, check out these helpful tips for designing for seniors from Smashing Magazine.

Remember, Your Audience Defines Your Success

If you’re building a website just for your company to feel good about itself, you’re probably not going to gain or keep an audience for long.

Understanding who you’re building a website for, and the intended purpose of their visit, will help your team prioritize the design experience, no matter the age of the end user. But remember: If you’re particularly designing for a certain generation, meet them where they are based on their needs and experiences. Your brand will gain a new ambassador in the process.