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Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

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Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#81

Post by 5ilv3r »

nailer wrote: post #78
ashark wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I won't defend the stamp thing's discoverability (though it's not that bad—and besides, if you know what an envelope is you probably know what a stamp is, and if you don't then it's because you're somehow encountering envelopes exclusively in non-mail contexts so how is that going to be associated with mail for you? Anyway...) but I don't think it matters how appropriate an icon they use if half of them are same-prop…

> besides, if you know what an envelope is you probably know what a stamp An envelope is an arbitrary thing that means email. Much like a floppy disk is an arbitrary thing that means save. The postal system and floppy drives are about as relevant as each other. I prefer the taskbar icon look - ie, raw shape - than the colored background look too. But the raw shapes certainly are far more better than the distracting,…

Right, now give me 6 apps with the same mail icon and help me find the one I like. The one that supports my mail provider and has my contacts in it. Not the other ones.

The bird is distinct. I know it's thunderbird because that's the icon thunderbird uses. I can upgrade windows and still find it. If you are making things easier for new users but ALSO worse for existing users, you're not doing anyone any good.

Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#83

Post by Swizec »

fastball wrote: post #45
Swizec wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a limit, though. I end up browsing most modern websites at ~120% zoom when I'm tired, because it's more comfortable. Lay back in chair, still read comfortably. There's so much wasted whitespace it usually doesn't even break the layout. I'm 29 and my eyesight with glasses is ok. Been wearing 'em for 22 years. But really the worst offenders are gray text on lighter gray background websites. Whyyyy designers why…

Your eyesight with glasses is just "ok"?? How bad is your eyesight with corrective lenses?

As alluded to, yes it's "ok". How good it is varies based on how tired I am. I like sites at 100% or less zoom in the morning, and often at 110% or more zoom towards the end of the day. Also depends on how far away my screen is.

For example, I tend to put my phone screen very near my face in the evening.

No such thing as perfect eyesight when you've been wearing glasses since you were 8 ;)

Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#84

Post by Swizec »

kuschku wrote: post #73
Swizec wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a limit, though. I end up browsing most modern websites at ~120% zoom when I'm tired, because it's more comfortable. Lay back in chair, still read comfortably. There's so much wasted whitespace it usually doesn't even break the layout. I'm 29 and my eyesight with glasses is ok. Been wearing 'em for 22 years. But really the worst offenders are gray text on lighter gray background websites. Whyyyy designers why…

> But really the worst offenders are gray text on lighter gray background websites. Whyyyy designers why? Color calibration. On a good monitor, 10 or 12bit depth, 1000 to 10000nits of contrast, which designers tend to have, black text on white background has such a high contrast that it creates actual pain, and migraine. So they use dark grey on light grey instead, and then, for them, it looks exactly like newspaper…

Yeah I know. I use the same monitors that designers use. Or at least used to a few years ago when Apple monitors were still The Thing To Have. Haven't upgraded in a while.

You know what happens with those gorgeous monitors with perfect contrast and beautiful calibration when it's sunny outside and my blinds aren't down or I'm physically outside with my laptop? They turn flat black. Can't see shit.

Also designers sometimes push the contrast thing too far. In both directions.

Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#85

Post by 5ilv3r »

fastball wrote: post #44
chiph wrote: post #2

"Congratulations, here's your first set of glasses" - the present I got when I turned 50. While the site focuses on seniors, a lot of the suggestions are good ones in any case - fonts larger than legalese and with good contrast will make your page more easily approachable and less likely to lose viewers who get frustrated because they can't read what you're trying to say.

Honestly, I've worn glasses all my life, and it's never occurred to me that, when I'm not wearing my glasses, the websites are the one's at fault for not making themselves more readable. I think "web developers should make things more readable" is addressing the symptom and not the problem. The solution is simple when it comes to readability: wear corrective lenses.

That's a personal solution not a general solution.

Make your font bigger (14 please), choose the font face for clear character distinction, and increase the contrast.

Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#86

Post by coldpie »

Androider wrote: post #79
noir_lord wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since the browsers remember zoom level I just set it to be comfortable for whatever it is and forget all about it, I had to check what I have HN set to on my desktop and it's 190%. It's not that I can't read it at 100 it's just tiring and I have mild astigmatism so I get eye strain.

The HN default of tiny text is headache inducing. I have pretty good vision, but HN is one of the few sites where I have to crank it up to 150% zoom minimum. https://blog.attackthefront.io/your-body-text-is-too-small-5... makes a pretty compelling argument that 18px is the new minimum, and I think I'll be following this advice on any of my future sites.

It's weird, I think HN's text size is perfect and view the site at 100%. I clicked through to your link and immediately scaled it down to 66% to make it readable.

Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#87

Post by tentakull »

boomlinde wrote: post #30

As sort of a sidenote: websites about UX seem to have the worst UX. Clicking the link, I'm not only met by a social sharing bar that uses 1/6th of the screen and screws scrolling up (because for some reason it should follow through my scrolling but somehow only be visible when scrolling upwards), but a faux-chat window overlaying the content where a Tom is asking me how he can help me. Not at all, thank you. At least…

I clicked the link, interested, saw the design of the article's website, and closed the window.

Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#88

Post by twanvl »

kuschku wrote: post #74
leni536 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would bet those designers never try to read the text on the site, they just adjust the contrast until it "looks good" with Lorem ipsum.

The problem is the contrast ratios. The contrast between 0% black and 100% white on a good screen is so high, it physically causes pain, even migraines. Which is why on HDR screens, the colors of CSS are actually limited to avoid ever going darker than grey or brighter than grey, and the contrast is still very large. #000000 on a cheap screen is equivalent to #666666 on an HDR screen, #ffffff on a cheap screen is equ…

> The problem is the contrast ratios. The contrast between 0% black and 100% white on a good screen is so high, it physically causes pain, even migraines.

Maybe that means you need to turn down your screen's brightness.

Re: Generation UX – How to make websites age-friendly

#89

Post by Symbiote »

Swizec wrote: post #5
coldpie wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a limit, though. I end up browsing most modern websites at ~60% zoom, because the text is so huge I find it distracting. Luckily the browser zoom feature is pretty great these days, so users can view at any size they like.

There's a limit, though. I end up browsing most modern websites at ~120% zoom when I'm tired, because it's more comfortable. Lay back in chair, still read comfortably. There's so much wasted whitespace it usually doesn't even break the layout. I'm 29 and my eyesight with glasses is ok. Been wearing 'em for 22 years. But really the worst offenders are gray text on lighter gray background websites. Whyyyy designers why…

Send the offending designers to http://contrastrebellion.com/
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