Baby Boomers and Website Design

© Illa Maden November 2006

Baby Boomers are the largest segment of our population

Give some thought to baby boomers when developing your website design. Since baby boo mers are the largest segment of our population right now, they are just too large a group to overlook. The youngest of this group turns 42 this year, and the oldest are 60.

Baby boomers, at least the oldest segment of this group, did not grow up with computers. However, many of this older segment of baby boomers have had to adjust and become familiar with computers because they have become a staple in the workplace.

Once the baby boomers became familiar with the use of computers in the workplace, they realized what resources and convenience computers could add to their lives on a personal basis. That brought computers into their homes. A large portion of baby boomers are doing much more online than sending email and jokes as many suppose.

Baby Boomers shop online

Many baby boomers rely on their computer to keep connected with family through email, but they also check news, sports, weather, do banking and finances, and they shop online.

What does this have to do with web design? Typically, reading on the internet is more difficult and puts more strain on the eyes.

Reading online is harder than just reading a book. Many websites have design elements that are challenging to a twenty year old, let alone a more mature person. Website design features such as text that is very small, or in a color that is muted or too closely matched to the backgound of the page can be drawbacks in your web design.

Audio with no surfer controls and flash can often be a turn off unless your website targets a young audience.

If you are marketing on a website you might want to consider baby boomers when you design your pages. This is a twenty year phenonemum starting now.

The internet has, in it's young life, been a place for the young, but that is changing. Even those twenty year olds who were the bright young marketers at the internet's beginnings are in their mid-thirties and heading for bifocals themselves.

Baby boomers will be entering the retirement phase of life for the next twenty years. Since I live in an area of the country heavily populated with retirees year round, and even more populated with baby boomers during the fall and winter season, I have observed them first hand. No dry statistics, first hand knowledge.

1. Retiring baby boomers have time to relax and enjoy

2. Baby boomers have money

3. Baby boomers like to travel and shop

4. Baby Boomers have credit cards

5. Baby boomers shop online

Baby boomers will shop on your website or that of someone else. If you want to take advantage of the segment of the market Baby boomers represent, then you should consider their visual needs and tastes when designing your web pages.

As the next twenty years unfolds a larger and larger part of the baby boomer group will be heavy online shoppers because they will have had more time and experience with computers and the internet. Create your website design for longevity and the market to come.

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