Designing Web Interfaces for Elderly Users: Lessons from My Mother

When I stay at home, I often spend the whole day online in my room, and occasionally in the living room I see my mother sitting alone watching TV. When she sees me get up for water, she is happy and wants me to sit and chat, which makes me feel very guilty. No matter how busy work gets, people who strive outside should find time to visit home and talk with their mothers.

My mother’s generation often fumbles through the internet, struggling with forum registrations, hidden gestures, and confusing interfaces. As designers and developers, making a website look good is not enough; we have a duty to consider users like my mother and improve their experience.

1. Different Browser Preferences

She prefers IE8 because she is familiar with it. Fearing she might break the browser, she lacks confidence to update versions or plugins. When the experience feels terrible, she blames the site design rather than the browser. Remember, your users span multiple browsers, so prioritize cross‑browser compatibility.

2. Unfamiliar Site Functions

She uses Facebook but is unsure how to share correctly. We should reassure users with intuitive visual cues and clear instructions to guide each action, building confidence in using features.

3. Icon Misinterpretation

Having used floppy disks years ago, she no longer remembers their purpose. Modern interfaces replace “New”, “Copy”, “Delete” with icons. While icons keep the UI compact, it’s best to add descriptive labels alongside them to explain what each icon does.

4. Limited Technical Skills

She never mastered Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V, and her iPhone is used only for texting, calls, and email. The voicemail says, “Hello, I can’t answer now. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to you.” She doesn’t realize the phone can store contacts. Advanced features are convenient, but guidance from a more experienced user helps her learn.

5. High Click Frequency

There’s a saying that more clicks equal poorer UX, which I tend to ignore. I consider myself an efficient user and never complain about a site requiring many clicks to complete a task. Good design isn’t about fewer elements, but about simplicity.

6. Keeping Up with the World

My mother uses the internet for three things: paying bills, watching Netflix, and staying in touch with her children. When Facebook redesigns, she spends a long time adapting to the new layout and remembering where buttons moved. Her online banking has remained stable for seven years on IE8. If you’re updating or redesigning a site with many loyal users, think carefully about which menus must change and preserve what can stay the same.

My mother is not unintelligent; she is very smart. More importantly, she wants to be part of the new things we create every day and to participate . I believe countless mothers feel the same. Designing interfaces that are easy to understand and suitable for them is our undeniable responsibility, because it is for them that we stand here trying to create miracles.