Digitizing Community: Designing an Accessible Online Experience for Seniors
My Role
Qualitative research
Design
Duration
3 months
Background
A community-based senior’s club needed a simple, accessible website to help reduce administrative workload and make it easier for members to stay engaged. I led the end-to-end design process to digitize their paper-based registration system and create an activity calendar that was easy to use—even for less tech-savvy users.
The Challenge: Designing an Inclusive Digital Hub for Seniors
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Registration was manual, time-consuming, and costly—relying on printed forms and mail-in drop-offs.
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Members struggled to keep track of events and meetings.
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The club has a directory with everyone's contact information that was being printed every year and cost $500/year.
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Any changes or updates that were made had to be communicated via email or word of mouth.
Listening First: Understanding the Needs of Older Adults
To kick off this project, I dove into user research. While I always design with accessibility in mind, this was my first time designing specifically for an older audience (ages 65–80+).
Through my research, I identified several key accessibility principles particularly important for seniors:
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Larger font sizes
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High contrast
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Simple, intuitive navigation
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Predictable layout and page structure
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Ample white space to reduce cognitive load
One insight that stood out was a device usage infographic showing that seniors primarily access websites on desktop. This influenced my decision to optimize the experience for larger screens, ensuring readability and ease of interaction.
Laying the Foundation: Information Architecture
To begin mapping the site structure, I asked the client to share all the content they wanted to include. This helped me understand their priorities and the types of information members needed easy access to.
Using FigJam, I created an initial sitemap to visualize the website’s structure and ensure the navigation would feel intuitive for the club’s audience.
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Early sitemap
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First iteration sitemap
I shared the sitemap with my client for feedback.
She suggested a few additional items, which I incorporated into the updated structure to ensure all key content was included.
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Second iteration sitemap
From Sitemap to Sketches
Once my client and I aligned on the information architecture, I began planning the individual page layouts through rough sketches to explore structure and content hierarchy.
Home page sketch
Design Decision: Visual Cards vs. Table Format
Once the sketches were done, I began to build low fidelity wireframes on Figma.
Initially, I designed the activities section with individual cards for each activity, including an icon, the convener's name, and whether the group was for men, women, or mixed participants. This visual layout aimed to make the content more engaging and easier to scan.
After reviewing the layout, my client preferred a more straightforward presentation. At her request, I replaced the cards with a clean, accessible table that displayed all the information in one view.
This shift ensured better clarity for the senior audience and reinforced the importance of adapting designs based on client and user needs.
Card Version
Table Version
Designing with Constraints: Creating a Cost-Effective Registration Flow
Once the wireframes were approved, I began building the site in Wix, starting with the registration form. I wanted it to be simple, accessible, and easy for the club to manage.
Initially, I considered using Wix’s built-in form builder, but due to the number of required fields, it would’ve forced an upgrade to a $33/month plan which was well over budget.
To keep costs down, I researched third-party alternatives and found Magic Form Builder, a user-friendly app for just $8/month. While it offered less customization, it was much easier for the client to update themselves—making it a more sustainable long-term solution.
Digitized Form and Form Builder
Finding the Perfect (Free!) Fit for the Calendar
Once the form was complete, I set out to find a third-party app for the activities calendar. I was able to find one that allowed for the events to be colour coded, was easy to update, and best of all—FREE!
Happy Clients, Smooth Handoff, Real Savings
My clients were so happy with the final result, the president commented that she loved how simple and easy the website is to use.
I was able to guide the executive officers on how to update everything on their own. I put together an instructional guide they could refer to down the road if they wanted to make any updates or changes.
With this website, I was able to reduce administrative costs by $500 annually.
Listening to Feedback: Improving the Registration Experience
An area for improvement was the online registration form.
While about 30% of members successfully registered online, the president shared that some users struggled with the required fields. This led to frustration for a few, who ultimately opted to print and complete the form by hand.
Registration season has wrapped up, but improving this experience is high on my list for next season. My goal is to reduce friction and make digital registration easier for everyone.
