The impact of age on website usability

As the general and working populations age in most developed nations, the study of website usability for older adults is becoming increasingly relevant. Website usability is concerned with both utilitarian (i.e. functional) and hedonic (i.e. pleasure-related) aspects. A new website usability model is proposed that considers the effects of age on website usability through cognitive antecedents that are most relevant to age-related effects. Specifically, spatial ability is the declining cognitive skill of particular interest in this research. A laboratory experiment was conducted where younger and older participants interacted with an experimental website. The results suggest that age has a pronounced impact on performance as a mediated effect through declining levels spatial ability and mental model accuracy as well as through a direct effect suggesting the presence of other objective and subjective changes associated with aging that could impact performance. Perceived disorientation was also examined within the proposed website usability model, revealing both expected and surprising findings.