Accessible Web Design for Older Adults: Challenges and Solutions
Washington Chiriboga-Casanova, Nuria Medina-Medina, Patricia Paderewski-Rodríguez · 2025 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing · doi:10.1145/3763243
Summary
This systematic literature review analyzes 4,052 articles published between 2014 and 2023 to comprehensively map the challenges older adults face online and the solutions proposed to address them. Using the PRISMA methodology and PICO framework, the authors selected 35 studies addressing accessibility challenges (RQ1) and 23 addressing design solutions (RQ2) from Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library databases. The review identifies 25 distinct types of accessibility challenges, organized into six categories: cognitive difficulties (28.3% of mentions—including general cognitive impairments, text comprehension issues, reduced perceptual speed, and memory limitations), physical difficulties (42.5%—encompassing visual, motor, hearing, and mobility challenges), psychological difficulties (8.0%—anxiety, attitudinal issues, technophobia), technological skill difficulties (17.7%—training gaps, hyperlink unfamiliarity, low device performance), privacy and security concerns (0.9%), and structural barriers to connectivity (2.7%). The authors note that physical and cognitive challenges dominate the literature, while psychological, privacy, and structural issues remain underexplored despite their importance. For solutions, the review catalogues 104 design improvements across seven categories, 24 technological resources, 20 evaluation methods, and 12 adaptation models. The authors propose a novel multi-level abstraction model organizing solutions from high-level principles and guidelines down through software frameworks, design methodologies, system architecture (client-side vs. server-side), and advanced technologies including AI and NLP.
Key findings
The most frequently proposed solutions fall into two main categories: web design improvements for information presentation (51.5% of proposals—font size, color contrast, simplified navigation, larger clickable areas) and interaction improvements (18.1%—avoiding double-clicks, blocking intrusive ads, slowing video presentations, providing zooming mechanisms). Complementary software solutions (14.7%) include text-to-speech, speech recognition, and pictogram systems. Notably, 43.3% of reviewed articles implementing solutions do not reference any specific accessibility standard, while WCAG 2.0 is the most cited (23.3%), followed by WCAG 2.1 (13.3%). The review identifies a critical gap: most solutions map to existing WCAG success criteria, but WCAG lacks specific provisions for simplifying content structure and reducing cognitive load—issues critical for older users. The WebAIM Million 2025 finding that 94.8% of homepages fail WCAG 2 conformance underscores persistent implementation failures. For evaluation methods, user-centered approaches dominate (77.6%), primarily questionnaires and surveys, while automated tools account for only 9.0% and expert-based evaluations 13.4%. Client-side implementations (browser extensions, JavaScript/CSS modifications) represent 54.5% of technological solutions, with tools like ExTraS, PINATA, and Klara Facebook adapting web content to user preferences in real-time.
Relevance
This review provides accessibility practitioners with a comprehensive reference for designing age-inclusive websites. The six-category taxonomy of challenges offers a practical framework for identifying potential barriers, while the 104 catalogued improvements serve as a checklist for implementation. The finding that physical difficulties (particularly visual and motor) account for 42.5% of challenges reinforces the importance of adequate font sizes, contrast ratios, large click targets, and keyboard navigation—all addressable through WCAG compliance. The multi-level abstraction model is particularly valuable for positioning accessibility work: practitioners can identify whether they need guideline-level changes, framework modifications, client-side adaptations, or advanced AI solutions. The emphasis on treating aging as a process rather than a fixed state—and older adults as heterogeneous rather than a single user type—challenges deficit-focused approaches and supports personalization strategies. However, the review is limited to web accessibility (excluding mobile apps and IoT), English-language publications, and the 2014-2023 timeframe. Future older adults may face fewer digital-divide barriers due to lifelong technology exposure, but age-related sensory and cognitive changes will persist as design priorities.
Tags: systematic review · older adults · web accessibility · aging · design guidelines · accessibility evaluation · WCAG · adaptive interfaces · digital inclusion
Standards referenced: WCAG 2.0 · WCAG 2.1 · WCAG 2.2 · WAI-ARIA · ATAG 2.0 · UAAG 2.0 · ISO 9241-171:2008