Bridging the Digital Generation Gap: Enhancing UX for Our Aging Population, Like My Dad

Last fall I presented my father with a birthday gift: a pair of Apple AirTags. As I watched him open his present, I imagined all of the everyday items he would now be able to locate, things he frequently loses as he struggles with cognitive loss in his mid to late seventies.

The excitement on his face when he saw the gift, presented in true Apple fashion, was exactly what I expected. After opening the box containing the AirTags, he also discovered the keychain I had bought to go with them. Within minutes he was focused on the keychain and had convinced himself that it was a crucial part of how the AirTag worked. Watching his chain of decision making unfold, I slowly sank deeper into my chair and into a state of qualitative research.

I asked him why he was so convinced about the importance of the keychain, and I could see he was making up stories to explain the parts in front of him. He hadn't even removed a single AirTag from the box yet. Third-party "Apple" accessories can look a lot like Apple products today, which causes further confusion, especially for older users. The similarities extend to the packaging as well, including the heavy board box and minimal lettering.

The next challenge was the size of the type on the packaging. The instructions were printed in a font size that I myself, in my 50s, struggled to read, even with my reading glasses. I realized quite quickly that I had uncovered, in my personal life, an interesting case study that I would love to study professionally.

As my father continued to struggle with the instructions, I could see the frustration in his face, and it was mounting. He moved to his iPhone to find the app that would support the AirTags. Within minutes he was in the App Store searching for AirTag applications. Not being an Apple user myself, I went along for the journey.

When he asked if he'd found the right app, it was obviously a third-party app. I asked him if he was sure he wanted to install a third-party app on his phone. I could see the entire experience was going sideways. When frustration mounts with our parents, we often need to simply provide support, sit back and watch, rather than trying to solve the problem for them. I decided to sit back, answer his questions, and give instruction only when he asked for it. The process, from opening the gift box to finally testing the location of the AirTag, took approximately two hours.

At the end of the first hour, I was frustrated myself. At the end of the second hour, I was convinced someone needed to rethink this process specifically for our elders. The birthday gift I had been so excited to present had turned into a frustrating experience for one of the people I love most. This is a failure of product design and UX, and one that most likely happens all too often.

My father's AirTags

One year later, my father no longer uses his AirTags. To be honest, I think he lost them. Every once in a while I ask him about them, and at one point he told me that one of the AirTags was traveling in and around an adjacent city. I dismissed the idea and changed the subject, knowing I would never be able to solve that problem. A little later, however, I discovered that people often hide AirTags to track other individuals.

Apple does account for this kind of issue, and I eventually circled back to get to the bottom of the mystery, because I was concerned someone might be trying to take advantage of him. Trying to explain how an AirTag could be used to track somebody in a malicious way only created more frustration, so I dropped the topic and advised him to consider not using the AirTags at all.

Technology like GPS tracking, which depends on hardware and software integration and setup, presents deep design challenges, especially for someone struggling with age-related cognitive issues, like my father.

One potential solution is ongoing qualitative research that observes the many challenges our elderly community faces moving into their golden years. Cognitive decline is only one aspect that deserves observation.

The most common physical limitations and cognitive changes among aging Americans

Physical limitations

• Arthritis
• Balance and coordination problems
• Hearing loss
• Heart disease
• Mobility problems
• Osteoporosis
• Pain
• Vision loss

Cognitive changes

• Age-related memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty finding words
• Difficulty making decisions
• Difficulty planning and organizing
• Difficulty processing information
• Slowed thinking and reactions

These lists are not comprehensive, but they clearly suggest a path forward for better UX and design, and emerging technologies hold real promise for new digital experiences for our elders.

Virtual reality therapy can offer mental stimulation and physical activity from the comfort of home. Remote healthcare monitoring can give seniors better access to medical care. As technology evolves, so do the opportunities to make it more accessible and beneficial for aging populations.

Let's take this call to action seriously. The digital world should be for everyone, young and old alike. By prioritizing elder-friendly UX, we not only create better products and bolster revenue, we also foster a more inclusive and compassionate technological landscape, one where age is never a barrier to the wonders of the digital age.

In Part II of this article, I explore a new set of UX design principles specific to seniors and older adults that account for the psychological and physiological changes that come with age. It also covers today's top products among this audience and best practices for conducting further UX testing.