As a mature adult student, I struggle daily with a visual challenge called Presbyopia. It is the eye’s inability to focus on objects that are close up and is why you will notice me wearing reading glasses in class.
The cause is the natural affects of aging on your eyes much like wrinkles in your skin. This condition usually occurs to people in their early to mid-40’s.
As Instructional Designers, we need to keep this in mind especially if the target audience includes middle-aged or older users. The problem is that some font styles, especially serif, and sizes are hard to read even with the aid of reading glasses. The same is true for small graphics and images.
What are some other considerations you might have for mature users who have this visual challenge?
