Will Baby Boomers Impact Your Website Design?

 

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If you haven't thought of Baby Boomers in regard to website design, you're not on top of things.

The first of the Baby Boomer group are turning 60 and they are retiring. Why should you care? For starters, Baby Boomers are the largest segment of our population. That would be a lot of people to ignore. And their needs and desires are going to differ from those of the, up to now, very young computer users.

The first of the Baby Boomer group came to computers late. Although they might not have warmed to the idea of a computer driven world if left alone, a huge segment of this population has been forced into the computer world by their employers. Having gained some comfort with computers in the workplace, Baby Boomers have become much more likely to make computers a staple item in their homes.

Although I am aware of the dry statistics about Baby Boomers, much of what I am saying about Baby Boomers is from first hand observation.

I live near Palm Springs. The population in this area on a year round basis is an older population than that of most locals across the country. Many retirees have made this their full time home because of the climate. And, every fall and winter our population balloons when many retirees flow to our community in RV's for the season. Plus another large group who maintain winter homes here.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because maybe I know some things you may not have thought about. You see, I know, from first hand observation that these retirees, many of them Baby Boomers, bring lap top computers in those RV's. And many who have Winter homes here, have them equipped with desktop computers. I also know, that these Baby Boomers are not just sending email and jokes. They are surfing!

Baby Boomers are not sitting by the window watching the neighbors go by. These people are busy. They love to shop, they love to travel, they have money. Baby Boomers are going to spend some of their time online shopping and if you want your share of that market, you'd better be ready to meet their wants and needs in planning your website design.

That brings us to what this all has to do with website design. Bifocals! Reading glasses! Many people at or soon after 40 find that reading is not as easy as it used to be. Even many who have always had good vision and never before needed glasses find that reading can be difficult. Anyone designing a website should know that reading online is harder than just reading a book. Whether you do your own website design, or have a professional design your website, keep this in mind. Making your website an easy read is important for all your visitors. It is especially important as Baby Boomers become such a large part of your potential market.

The Baby Boomer phenomenon is just at it's beginning. The Baby Boomer segment of the population will span most of the next twenty years. The last of the Baby Boomer group will be 42 this year.

Consider the size of your fonts when designing your websites. Contrast is another important factor. I see many websites that not only have tiny fonts, but they are often in muted shades even a twenty year old would find a challenge.

Many elements of website design are important, when you consider the needs and the tastes of the group you are marketing to. Audio with no surfer control, flash, colors that are hard on the eyes, small fonts, lack of contrast between font color and background could all be a turn off.

Considering the following five factors could be important to the degree of success you have in your online business over the next few years.

1. Baby Boomers are surfing.

2. Baby Boomers like to spend money.

3. Baby Boomers have money.

4. Baby Boomers will have time in the coming years to surf and shop.

5. Baby Boomers as the years go by will be from the younger segment of this population and will have had more time and experience using computers and the internet.

Will Baby Boomers shop with you? Or, will they find another website that has implemented into their website design what these folks are looking for, and are comfortable with? Baby Boomers will be the largest segment of our population for most of the next twenty years. Make this a consideration when you plan your website design.

Illa has been marketing on the Internet since 1999. Featured at her website http://www.ezee-options.com A simple guide for website design and page optimization geared toward new marketers. Advice if offered free of hype in a simple step by step manner.

Business Software, Web Applications and Desktop Software compared

 

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It has been some time that an argument has been doing rounds about the replacement of desktop application by web applications in the business software category. Although, web applications are more versatile and flexible, desktop software and applications are not easily replaced considering the issues of security and replacement of legacy systems that have been in place for some time now. The shift if it ever happens is not only a technical issue but also a marketing and business issue. A lot of information is available on a website that discusses these issues under various heads and articles.

A desktop application is localized on computer or a local area network where it is deployed whereas a web application is delivered to users across the globe using a web server connecting through the internet. Usage of a web browser as a client is finding more and more acceptance today and is being used in many applications and off the shelf products to deliver better GUI’s. This has led to the popularity of web applications. It is very important to understand the delivery systems on the internet to find suitability of converting a desktop application into a web application. Applications integrating search engine optimization techniques have become more popular in businesses that are marketing or sales oriented, while a manufacturing unit may find it less appealing to convert the existing application into a web application.

A few points come to light in comparing a desktop application and a web application.

Accessibility: A desktop application is accessible only on a local computer, whereas a web application is available anywhere across the globe.

Maintenance & Upgrades: Web application need less or no maintenance since they are installed only once on the web server, whereas desktop applications need to be deployed individually on each computer. Upgrades and other compatibility issues are mostly taken care of by the webmasters of the hosting company unlike desktop applications. The maintenance of a web application is of prime importance, since the business puts all its eggs into a single basket, uptime is not only necessary but crucial to the application.

Security: Working online has its own set of risks like hacking and virus threats. The risk is higher compared to a desktop computer, since a malfunction of the desktop can result in loss of partial data. The crash of a web server can result in consequences beyond the control of a business.

Cost: Running a web application involves recurring cost of web space and bandwidth use, whereas, the use of desktop has a one time cost and has been known to cheaper over a period of time.

Connectivity: The reliability of web applications is based on connectivity, although they can be used from anywhere across the world, connectivity speeds and bandwidth regulation may render it useless in some areas. Failure of internet connection from the business end or the web server end can cause unwarranted delays. Critical applications may suffer as a result of these interruptions in service.

Slower: Web application in comparison to desktop application run slower due to transfer of data through the internet. The speed of connectivity and bandwidth usage may be major factors.

The popularity of web applications is only due to the accessibility despite their limited functionality.

For more information please visit http://www.business-software.be