Better mCommerce for Senior Adults: 7 Ways to Improve Accessibility in Mobile Apps

If you still think that people aged 60+ rarely use mobile apps and have a general dislike for modern technologies, I’ve got news for you—that’s long been outdated.

Older adults are a large group who gladly shop online, but for many of them, accessibility is a key concern. The app’s interface must be friendly to older users. If yours is not, you should make it a priority as soon as possible.

This isn’t just a matter of ethics and compliance with the European Accessibility Act. It’s also an opportunity to reach a broader customer base with your offer.

Find out what to keep in mind to make your mCommerce app friendly for a bigger group of older users (and some of the younger ones, too!).

Why consider older adults specifically when designing apps?

According to the “E-commerce in Poland 2024” report, a substantial 8.89 million people in Poland aged 50-75 shop online. What’s more, users in this age group spend between 200 and 220 minutes on shopping websites.

These figures clearly indicate that older individuals are a significant group. They aren’t limiting themselves to searching for products in physical stores and are eager to use online shops.

In subsequent years, this group will also increase. GUS forecasts that in 2060, as much as 30% of the population will be people aged 65+.

Such data is provided by the report Resident Population Forecast for Poland for 2023-2060. For now, this date seems quite distant, but the forecast clearly indicates that year by year, a larger part of society will be older people.

This isn’t just a Polish trend. Another report, The Population Aging in the European Union: Features and Socioeconomic Consequences, shows that in 2021, the ratio of older people to the working-age population in the EU was 32.5%, much higher than 10 years earlier.

Benefits: How does this data translate to business?

Adapting your mobile app for such a large demographic directly impacts the business goals of online stores:

• More potential new customers: The challenges senior adults often face in apps aren’t exclusive to them. Everyone benefits from improved digital accessibility, especially people with permanent or temporary limitations, such as impaired vision, mobility issues, or neurodivergent individuals. Users who rarely use mobile solutions or aren’t familiar with the terminology found within them will also appreciate these improvements.
• Lower cart abandonment rate and better UX:  An app for older adults that takes into account their needs, improves their shopping experience, and increases the chances that the transaction will be finalized.
• Better brand image: An app adapted to the needs of seniors will be better perceived by this demographic group, which should translate into greater popularity of the store among older users.
• Loyal user base: Satisfied users are more eager to return to a store that meets their needs and requirements. It will also encourage them to recommend the app to other people with similar needs.
• Legal compliance: The European Accessibility Act introduces an obligation to adapt e-commerce stores to the needs of people with disabilities. Therefore, ensuring accessibility simultaneously allows for meeting the requirements set by this European Union directive.
• Future-proofing: This term refers to actions companies take to implement solutions that should remain relevant even years into the future. Given the increasing number of older people, adapting apps for them seems like a sensible move.

User research and ways to improve app usability

Although it may seem that older adults constitute a uniform group, you must remember that age is not everything.

Some may feel great using the internet and apps, while others will need more support. Some will struggle with various disabilities, and others will not have health problems that require the use of special solutions.

Therefore, it is best to start by introducing universal guidelines for digital accessibility (compliant with the European Accessibility Act) and simultaneously conduct user research. Its goal should be to determine which representatives of the senior group are your target users.

You can act now before you see the results of these studies. A large part of the guidelines concerning digital accessibility will work regardless of who your audience is.

So, what can you do to make it easier for older customers (and not only them) to use mCommerce apps? Here are some useful tips.

1. Make sure all content is easy to read

Even if you don’t belong to the group of older adults or have vision problems, you’ve probably downloaded an app once that was unreadable. This is not an uncommon occurrence. What usually causes difficulties?

• Messages have small letters, which makes them difficult to read and slows down information assimilation.
• The contrast between text and background is too low. Older people more often have problems distinguishing colors, which makes it harder for them to read such content.
• The content is written in a fancy font, which looks interesting but makes reading difficult.
• There is too much text and other elements on the screen, making it unclear where to start getting acquainted with the interface. This is an especially big problem for neurodivergent individuals, but chaos and screen overload with various elements are a torment for almost all users.

Solution

How do we ensure interface readability? First of all, check how large the smallest font used in your app is. As a rule, it is better not to use sizes below 14 pt. Users should also be able to enlarge the text size if needed (e.g., up to 200%).

The choice of the font itself also matters. For longer texts, always use sans-serif fonts. Examples of such fonts include Roboto, Arial, Lato, or Helvetica.

Also, ensure proper contrast between UI elements and the background. If you are not sure if it is sufficient, use a special plugin that will help you determine this.

Finally, analyze whether your interface has a clear layout and whether reaching important messages and functions is easy. Navigation must be intuitive, so avoid adding menus in unusual places and do not hide them. Additionally, remember that product photos should be large and clear.

2. Provide voice search and adapt the app for screen readers

In some cases, even a large font does not solve the problem. Additionally, typing on a smartphone keyboard can sometimes be problematic, especially for someone with mobility limitations or more severe vision problems.

Solution

Adapt the app to the requirements of screen readers. For Android, this means TalkBack and iOS devices have VoiceOver built-in.

How to do it? Make sure that all interface elements are properly described and structured. More detailed instructions can be found on the Android Developer and Apple Developer websites. Finally, test the app with the reader and check if any elements still require improvement.

What else is worth taking care of? Add a voice search option in your app and check if all images have alternative texts (alt text). WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) also suggests other ways to present non-text content. It’s best to be familiar with them.

3. Use understandable naming and avoid specialized terminology

Even if you frequently use various mobile apps, you probably still encounter terms that are hard to understand. Imagine how senior adults who don’t have your experience must feel.

On top of that, there’s the issue of imprecise labels and confusing descriptions, which are a nightmare for all users.

Does the Add button mean to add a product to cart or to a favorites list? What do the security details in the privacy policy mean? Does “2-day delivery” mean the package is shipped in two days by the store or delivered to my house? These are just a few examples of issues users sometimes face when shopping on e-commerce platforms.

Solution

Start with a UX audit of your app. A UX writer or UX designer who is familiar with the standards applicable in mCommerce apps should analyze your online store and implement necessary changes so that content in the app is understandable for most users.

Besides changing terminology and the content itself, it’s also worth considering whether sometimes the text could be shorter. For example, privacy policies are often long and difficult to understand. If you can additionally create a shortened version of this document with the most important information, written according to the rules of plain language, it will make it easier for users to assimilate its content.

4. Offer help

Even if you approach the issue of accessibility with the utmost care, it may happen that someone doesn’t understand something, can’t find it, or a technical error occurs.

When users are unable to complete a planned task (like adding a product to the cart or selecting a delivery option), the app should offer them support.

Solution

Age doesn’t matter much when it comes to preferred contact methods, so it’s always worth providing various forms of support. Some people will prefer to resolve doubts on a phone call, while others will choose to search for information, for example, in the FAQ section or via a form. Adding an in-app chat can also be a good idea.

All these options should be easily accessible. Place their icons or shortcuts in a visible place and design them in a way that facilitates their use.

The FAQ section should be divided into subcategories to make finding specific topics faster.

The form should be based on a template that allows selecting the problem category, suggests what information should be entered, and informs when a response can be expected.

5. UI design with user mobility limitations in mind

Mobility limitations are a significant hindrance when using mobile apps. For some, sliding an element across the screen is easy, while others struggle due to difficulties with fine motor skills (precise finger and hand movements). This issue often affects seniors. How can we help them?

Solution

In this case, voice commands will be applicable, but first, make sure that interactive UI elements are adequately sized.

When buttons are large, not much precision is needed to tap them, especially if they’re also spaced further apart from each other. This way, you minimize the risk that someone accidentally selects the wrong button.

Additionally, instead of buttons with a swipe gesture, insert static buttons that are easier to select with a finger.

Keyboard access is also helpful. The client should be able to use every function with it.

6. Ensure security and communicate it

In a survey conducted among individuals over 60, respondents most frequently indicated payment security as a very important or rather important factor they consider when shopping online. As many as 96% of respondents gave such answers, according to the report by Fundacja Kobiety e-biznesu about the Silvers generation in e-commerce.

Even if ensuring security is an obvious matter to you, users might not be aware of it. It’s worth taking a moment to inform them that using your store is truly secure.

Solution

Start with payment methods. Good practice dictates offering several options, but remember that widely known payment service providers build greater trust.

In forms, users usually have to provide various data. Next to relevant fields, you can include short messages explaining how this data will be used. This can be helpful, especially when you ask for non-obvious information (e.g., a phone number a courier needs).

Users should have control over their data, so ensure they can easily manage marketing consents and edit personal data.

Additionally, enable the option to log in via a Google or Facebook account. This way, users will be better protected (if you do not provide a two-step verification).

Furthermore, use plain language in the privacy policy (it has been mentioned before) and in terms and conditions. Users should be able to understand them without knowing legal terms. You can also highlight sections that you consider particularly noteworthy in the context of security.

7. Usability and A/B tests

You have spent a lot of time implementing changes, but you are not sure if they truly improve digital accessibility? Or perhaps you are just planning major changes and want to know if they will genuinely make things easier for senior adults? In such cases, tests might be the solution.

A/B tests

If you already have an app and want to implement a single change on a chosen view, conduct A/B tests. One group of users (A) will see the original version, while the other (B) will see the version with the change.

Example

Let’s say you want to swap the order of the “Add to list” and “Add to cart” buttons. Group A first sees “Add to list,” and Group B first displays “Add to cart.” An A/B test will determine which user group more frequently adds products to the cart.

Usability testing

Opt for usability tests if implementing planned changes requires significant effort, higher costs, and substantial involvement from the development team. Conduct them with participants who represent your target group of senior adults on an app prototype before developers start writing code.

Thanks to usability tests, you’ll learn whether everything is understandable for clients and what else needs to be improved so that your mCommerce is more friendly for older users.

Designing for senior adults: Summary

Simply swapping out fonts for larger ones isn’t enough to adapt an app for senior adults’ needs. When designing the UI, you need to consider not only health issues (like vision problems, which are more common here than among younger users) but also the specific concerns and goals of this target group. User research (UX research) is extremely helpful in defining these.

This approach to thinking about customers increases the likelihood that your app will gain their trust and encourage them to use your offerings.

Let’s discuss how to apply this approach to your project and what needs to be done for your app to receive positive feedback from older users. Contact us!