Constructing an Inclusive Web Design Checklist for Health-Related Sites for Older Adults with Complex Chronic Disease - Major Research Paper

Sep 13, 2026

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Health-related sites are not optimally usable by older adults (aged 50 and over) living with complex chronic disease (CCD) because most websites do not deliver online information with these users in mind. While existing literature explains general web design for older adults, it offers limited guidance for designing for CCD users with diverse abilities. The research synthesizes relevant checklists and empirical findings to develop an Inclusive Web Design Checklist with 16 categories and 55 criteria.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages104

Reading Time36 min

AccessFree to download

1 Introduction

1.1 Context

1.2 Challenge

1.3 Approach

1.4 Significance

1.5 Summary

2 Concepts

2.1 Who are older adults?

2.2 What is complex chronic disease?

2.3 What is disability?

2.4 What is personalization?

2.5 What is user-centered design?

Constructing an Inclusive Web Design Checklist for Health-Related Sites for Older Adults with Complex Chronic Disease by Lester Leung Submitted to OCAD University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design in Inclusive Design Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 2014 Lester Leung, 2014 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. To see the license, go to [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)[ ](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)or write to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California 94105, USA ii Copyright Notice This document is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license . To see the license, go to [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) . You are free to: • Share — Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format • Adapt — Remix, transform, and build upon the material Under the following conditions: • Attribution — You must give the original author credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. • Non-Commercial — You may not use the work for commercial purposes. • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. With the understanding that: • Waiver — Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. • Public Domain — Where the work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license. • Other Rights — In no way are any of the following rights affected by the license: o Your fair dealing or fair use rights, or other applicable copyright exceptions and limitations; o The author's moral rights; o Rights other persons may have either in the work itself orin how the work is used, such as publicity or privacy rights. • Notice — For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Author's Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this MRP. This is a true copy of the MRP, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize OCAD University to lend this MRP to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my MRP may be made electronically available to the public. I further authorize OCAD University to reproduce this MRP by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. Signature Lester Leung Abstract Health-related sites are not optimally usable by older adults (aged 50 and over) who live with complex chronic disease (CCD) because most sites do not deliver online information with these users in mind. While the current literature explains how to design Web sites for older adults, it lacks guidance in how to design Web sites for older adults with CCD that have diverse abilities. My research examined the Web design features that provide this user population a better Web experience. This research paper started with the synthesis of current checklists that target older adult Web users and findings from an empirical study of the online experiences of older adults living with CCD. The results led to the construction of a checklist of inclusive Web design features that support designers in creating more usable and accessible health-related sites. The final Inclusive Web Design Checklist is comprised of 16 categories and 55 criteria. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my Supervisory Committe

FAQs

Why are health-related websites difficult for older adults with complex chronic disease (CCD)?

Most websites do not deliver online information with this user group in mind, making them not optimally usable for older adults living with complex chronic disease.

What gap does the research address in existing literature?

Existing literature explains how to design websites for older adults, but provides limited guidance for designing websites for older adults with CCD who have diverse abilities.

What does the final Inclusive Web Design Checklist include?

The final checklist is composed of 16 categories and 55 criteria to support designers in creating more usable and accessible health-related sites.

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Asher