How to Develop the Best Mobile App for Senior Population?

The technological development that started rising in the last decades of the twentieth century has peaked by the end of two decades of the twenty-first century. There is a vast difference between the societies of the past and present era. The greatest example is the United Arab Emirates, an underdeveloped area at that time, but now it is among the world’s most developed countries.

Technology leads the way, and the young generation is following it to ensure continuous development and growth. In all this scenario, the senior population receives an ignorant attitude, as they are not well-phrased in technology. They face most astounding ignorance at the hands of mobile apps that are not user friendly for them.

The purpose of this article is to help you explore the ways to develop the best mobile app for the senior population and ensure the rising popularity of your app and business.

Top 6 Points to Consider While Developing Mobile App for Seniors

The senior population is one of the most important units of any society, and their presence cannot be ignored. The society has to take them along the process of progress to serve them for all their hard work. In this modern era, mobile apps are crucial for any field of life, be it:

• Health
• Banking
• Ecommerce
• Entertainment
• Travelling and tourism
• Sports and gaming
• Government
• News
• Social media

The senior population also needs to use the app related to these fields; however, they are not friendly enough to provide a quality experience.

The following are some of the most crucial points you should consider while developing a mobile app for senior citizens.

Focus on Forgotten Areas

Most of the business organizations ignore the senior citizens while reviewing their target audience. However, they should be the primary audience for the health, news, gaming, entertainment, banking, and government sector. Be sure to narrow down the forgotten areas linked to the senior population while developing a mobile app for your business. So,

• Include content favored by the older population
• Use an in-depth approach to provide rich content

Make the Search Process Easy

The young generation is tech-savvy, but the senior population is not. Even five-year-old kids can operate the entertainment and gaming apps without any difficulty but the case the quite different for older people. They mainly suffer from searching for something new on the apps. To minimize their difficulty, you can:

• Allow alphabetic search
• Show the categories and names
• Do not ask their choice but provide the suggestions
• Provide subcategories to narrow down the search

Consider Their Understanding of Technology

Old people are not well versed in technology; however, they still need to use it to walk side by side with modern society. They do not want to be dependent on their children or others. So, you need to consider their understanding of technology while developing a mobile app to help them in this cause. For this:

• Provide clear user instructions
• Avoid using technical jargons
• Share prompts regarding the next step
• Highlight the links or commands that have been clicked
• Avoid extra setup requirements

Pay More Attention to Design Elements

Design is one of the most crucial elements of an app that increases user-friendliness. The standards and requirements of the young generation are quite different from those of older ones. You strictly need to keep them in mind; otherwise, the senior citizen will not be able to avail of an app’s benefits. You can:

• Use bigger and clearer font
• Make proper use of negative space
• Avoid automatically playing audios
• Provide subtitles of videos
• Avoid displaying text on images
• Use bigger icons with proper spacing

Ensure the Simplest Navigation

With the increase in the age of human beings, the motor skills start becoming slower. Most older people cannot use their fingers properly due to shaking and increased sensitivity. You need to ensure the simplest navigation if your mobile app is specifically for the senior population. you can provide simple navigation by:

• Avoiding complex gestures
• Keep icons far enough to avoid accidental touching
• Provide constant feedback to show they are using the app rightly
• Prefer clicking the option in place of scrolling or swiping

Induce Updates Carefully

Most of the app owners launch it with limited features. They gain insight from the user experience and introduce updates to improve the quality of service. However, introducing too much or frequent updates can trouble the old population. So, try to induce the updates carefully at such a pace that they can easily use the app.

If you want to develop an app specifically for the senior population but lack the knowledge, you can always consult the experts. You can hire the service of a mobile app development company in Dubai, share your ideas with the professionals, and get the best app specifically designed for your target audience.

Consider all age groups while developing an app!

Mobile apps are not limited to certain sections and age groups of the society. Due to the accessibility features, the developers now consider the need for visually impaired people. However, the senior population is still facing neglect. The older people need to use health, entertainment, news, banking, and government apps more than other age groups. So, consider and prioritize their needs while developing a mobile app for your business.