Internet application, so that the elderly can use it willingly
Core reading
At present, the special action to adapt to the ageing of Internet applications is proceeding in an orderly manner across the country.
By optimizing the interface, simplifying programs, and adding functions, many websites and mobile phone applications are closer to the actual needs of the elderly.
In the next step, it is necessary to improve the standards and norms suitable for aging, provide more Internet products and applications suitable for the elderly, so that the elderly can share the fruits of informatization development.
For browsing information, the large print version of the mobile phone application (APP) allows the elderly to obtain information through voice interaction; online shopping, tailor-made "elder model" makes it easier for the elderly to return and exchange goods; go out and take a taxi, specially designed for the elderly "One-click car-hailing" service makes travel no longer difficult...
In order to let the elderly enjoy the digital life, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has launched a one-year "Special Action for Internet Application Adaptation and Accessibility Improvement" nationwide from January this year, focusing on solving the problem of elderly people using common Internet applications. , The problems and obstacles encountered in the mobile APP help the elderly to share the fruits of informatization development.
In the past six months or so, what is the overall situation of the ageing transformation of Internet applications?
To systematically solve the problem of the elderly’s access to the Internet, what aspects should we start with?
In response to these issues, the reporter interviewed the relevant persons in charge and relevant experts of the Information and Communication Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
A batch of product transformation completed
Covering multiple areas of life
"Play today's Olympic Games news." As soon as the voice fell, there was an expressive voice broadcast on the mobile phone.
With the new function of a large-character version of the APP, Mr. Zhang of Qingdao, Shandong opened a new door to obtain information on the Internet.
One-click the "listen to news" button, you can listen to the news at any time without typing.
Uncle Zhang, 78 years old, told reporters while proficiently operating: “I suffered from Parkinson’s syndrome a few years ago, and his hands were trembling so much that it was difficult to make and receive calls, let alone surf the Internet. You can listen to the news with your mouth, which is very convenient!"
What makes Uncle Zhang even more gratified is that relying on the personal voice package recording function, only 20 sentences can be recorded to record the grandson's voice into a broadcast voice.
"Every day listening to my grandson broadcast the news to me, I feel like he is by my side, wonderful and happy."
Not only mobile apps, but many companies are also accelerating aging-adaptive transformation, and a number of aging-adaptive products and services are the first to land, covering information, shopping, travel and other fields, forming a joint force for aging-adaptive transformation in the entire industry.
On the traditional telecommunications server side, the three basic telecommunications companies launched the "one-click call-in manual customer service" function specifically for the elderly at the end of last year, which has served more than 30 million elderly customers; on the public service side, the official website of the Beijing Municipal People’s Government Provides multiple functions including voice navigation, page zooming, etc. to help the elderly realize barrier-free browsing and use of website services; in smart product terminals, some branded mobile phones are launched in the "remote assistance" mode, and children can remotely operate the elderly’s mobile phone interface directly. Help parents to take taxis and register online to solve the problem of integrating the elderly into the information society.
"Overall, in the past six months, the special action to adapt to the ageing of Internet applications has progressed smoothly and achieved initial results." According to the relevant person in charge of the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, most government official websites have implemented voice reading, voice navigation, and more. Accessibility.
Many apps used by the elderly have implemented full-page large fonts, large icons, and large buttons. At the same time, they have developed and launched a dedicated service interface for the elderly to help the elderly share the results of informatization through measures such as simplified procedures and one-to-one services.
According to reports, it is expected that by the end of this year, the first batch of 158 websites and mobile apps participating in the renovation will all be upgraded and evaluated in accordance with the requirements, driving the ageing and barrier-free level of Internet applications.
The difficulties and obstacles encountered by the elderly in the daily browsing of news, online shopping, and social communication will be resolved.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will also continue to track the effects of the transformation and organize basic telecommunications companies and Internet companies to solve new problems in the use of intelligent technology by the elderly in a timely manner.
Insufficient functions of some products
The standard of fitness for the elderly needs to be improved
"Although the special action has achieved certain results, there are still some problems in the process of continuing to promote the ageing reform." The relevant person in charge of the Information and Communication Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said.
On the one hand, some companies have a low degree of participation, and product design lacks an aging perspective.
In the view of Wang Lili, deputy director of the Institute of Aging Economics and Industry of the China Research Center for Aging, enterprises need to invest special manpower and material resources to participate in the transformation to adapt to aging.
However, under the background that young and middle-aged groups are still the main target customers of Internet companies, some companies do not have a deep understanding of the aging society and the needs of the elderly, which makes product development lack of an aging perspective.
After the ageing transformation has gradually become a trend, some companies have gradually paid attention to the information needs of the elderly.
In March of this year, an Internet platform issued an announcement, recruiting 10 senior user representatives as product think tanks to participate in product upgrades and research and development.
After fully understanding the usage scenarios and reality confusion of elderly users, targeted customer service lines and optimization solutions were launched to help them better integrate into their digital lives.
"With the in-depth participation of forces from all walks of life in the ageing transformation and the construction of information barrier-free, a good age-appropriate development environment will gradually form." The relevant person in charge of the Information and Communication Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said.
On the other hand, the ageing standards are not perfect, and the quality of products and services needs to be improved.
"In the past few years, due to the lack of unified national, industry and mandatory standards for adapting to aging and reforming, most Internet application and terminal equipment companies could only formulate their own standards, resulting in uneven quality of products and services in the market for ageing. Sustainable development." Wang Lili said.
Take a certain input method as an example, "Currently, it can only be judged whether to prompt the user to enable the'elder mode' based on the font size set by the mobile phone." Cheng Kun, the person in charge of the input method business department, said that if the process is to be further optimized, relevant information is needed. The department takes the lead in formulating standards, and at the same time, joint efforts with equipment manufacturers and operating system manufacturers to break down the barriers to adapting to aging, so as to provide more accurate digital services for the elderly.
In April of this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a notice clarifying the age-appropriate general design specifications for Internet websites and mobile Internet applications, and made key specifications from multiple perspectives such as text size, paragraph spacing, and page settings.
The relevant person in charge of the Information and Communication Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that the next step will be to strive to form a more guiding and normative national standard on this basis, and to accelerate the pace of ageing transformation of Internet products and applications.
Reduce the cost of access to the Internet for the elderly
Increase the supply of products suitable for the elderly
The results of the seventh census announced in May of this year showed that the proportion of the population aged 60 and over in my country reached 18.7%, which was an increase of 5.44 percentage points compared with 2010.
With the ever-increasing aging population, it is a long-term and long-term systematic project to transform the age-appropriate into a long-term systematic project.
“In the final analysis, the use of smart technology by the elderly is mainly faced with the problems of being unavailable, unusable, afraid to use, and unwilling to use it.” According to Wang Li, an expert at the Institute of Industry and Planning, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, these issues need to be resolved in stages. Only in this regard can the elderly truly participate in the digital life.
Introducing smart technology products that are "usable" for the elderly is the focus of the first solution.
By promoting the formulation and implementation of aging standards for smart terminals and Internet applications, and carrying out evaluation of the aging level of terminals and Internet applications, more and more products can meet the needs of the elderly.
At the same time, by giving senior citizens preferential communication rates and launching exclusive tariff packages for senior citizens, the cost of internet access for senior citizens is reduced, making them affordable and accessible.
On this basis, it is necessary for the elderly to "use" smart technologies and products.
On the one hand, guide basic telecommunications operators, mobile phone terminal manufacturers, Internet companies, etc. to introduce manuals and videos that teach the elderly to use smart terminal products and Internet applications, and promote them through their own product platforms and other channels.
On the other hand, companies in offline stores are encouraged to set up age-appropriate experience centers and set up relevant experience scenarios, so that the elderly can have more immersive on-site experience.
"While helping the elderly to cross the digital divide and participate in digital life, safety, health, and rest assured use of the Internet are also issues that require great attention." Wang Li said that there are buttons and plug-ins in some apps that induce the elderly to click , Such as "doing a task to grab a red envelope", "scanning to draw a prize" or "clicking to get a gift", etc., may cause the elderly to become dependent and even cause property damage.
In the evaluation of the ageing level of APP, special attention should be paid to such matters, and supervision should be strengthened through random inspections. It is strictly forbidden for companies to use the opportunity of ageing reformation to damage the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly.
In the long run, to allow the elderly to move from “useful” to “willing to use” digital products, in addition to aging-adaptive transformation, increasing the supply of aging-adapted products is the key.
“Aging ageing should be based on the needs of the elderly, and considering ageing issues from the beginning of product design, rather than post-modification.” Cheng Kun said that the next step will be to integrate the concept of ageing into the entire life cycle of product design and incorporate it into the product. In the daily maintenance process, we continuously improve the experience of the elderly and truly serve the elderly.
Our reporter Han Xin