Touch-screen tablet navigation and older adults: an investigation into the perceptions and opinions of baby boomers on long, scrolling home pages and the hamburger icon

How information and navigation are presented on a website can greatly impact one\u27s ability to successfully use the site. While this is an important consideration for all audiences, it is especially important for older adults. Decreases in visual acuity, working memory, and the ability to block out distractions can greatly impact the successful use of a website and, therefore, the overall user experience for older adults. Compounding these issues, it has been observed web designers often do not take into consideration the usability needs of older adults. This is unfortunate, since the world population is experiencing an unprecedented increase in the average age of the population. By 2017, roughly half of the population of the United States will be fifty years of age or older (Nielsen & BoomAgers, 2012). Baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, are the fastest growing cohort on the Internet today (Moran, 2013; Spiezle & Shambaugh, 2001; Wagner et al., 2014). Despite extensive research into website usability for older adults, data on website design and navigation guidelines--specifically for touch-screen tablets--is scarce. This is an area of opportunity and relevance, since the use of touch-screen tablets by older adults is rapidly expanding. To facilitate the creation touch-screen tablet experiences inclusive of older adults, this study examines what is known about aging, older adults, in general, and baby boomers, in particular, and website usability best practices. This study explores the perceptions and opinions for adults ages 50-68 on two popular navigation techniques frequently found on touch-screen devices--long, scrolling home pages and hiding the menu under a symbol commonly referred to as a hamburger icon. The ultimate goal of this research is to expand knowledge in this area and provide recommendations and directions for future research