Accessible technology for elderly vital to the future expansion of economy

As a world-leading technological powerhouse, China enjoys strong uptake of new trends in the sector. High rates of smartphone adoption, for example, are vital to an economy where e-commerce is king. Young people are also increasingly likely to work remotely, ensuring that ideas that fuel innovation can spread fast.

However, it is important that China's ageing demographic is not left behind in the rush to convert the entire economy to silicon. China's largest tech firms are making efforts to ensure that the elderly are technologically literate, and have access to the same modern facilities and services that the rest of the country can enjoy.

The senior citizens of today are by no means newcomers to mobile devices. Many older people state that they like to try new apps that promise to bring more convenience to their lives. The sight of grandparents fully versed in WeChat, speaking to family members remotely, is increasingly common.

As this trend continues to grow, the mobile industry must adapt to accommodate people from all walks of life, and enable everyone to use their services in an accessible way. The China Internet Network Information Center states that by the end of 2020, about 260 million of China's 989 million internet users were senior citizens aged 50 and older. This population is expected to continue to grow in the coming decade. What has been dubbed silver economy holds significant buying power.

The e-commerce giant JD.com has noticed that sales in the silver economy have risen by an average of around 40 percent per annum since 2018. This growth has been most visible in sectors such as prescription medicines, home furniture and kitchenware. The online education company Jiayou has seen a rise in older subscribers to its network. It seems that elderly Chinese are not yet done learning, and continue to push themselves through guided meditation courses, cooking and music lessons.

Food delivery is another tech sector that seems almost perfectly developed for the aging population. Delivery companies such as Meituan and Eleme have noticed an increase in users over the age of 50, with many anecdotally claiming that such services have been a welcome relief during the winter months, as hot meals can be conveniently delivered straight to the homes of those less mobile.

The incentive to embrace passionate consumerism from the older generation is clear. How to do so is a more complex task. Deploying larger font sizes is a strategy used by companies such as Baidu. Streamlining and simplifying is another method, favored by the Alibaba funded mapping tool Gaode Map, which allows users to hail rides without needing to key in a destination first. Minimal design prevents cognition issues for those who find difficulty with more complex layouts.

This may provide a challenge to those looking to monetize their interfaces, as pop-up adverts add to the stream of irrelevant content that some older users may find distracting. Providing clear instructions on just how to use the app may also become more commonplace in the near future, as well as alternative methods of instruction in the form of clear audio or video for the sensory impaired.

As time goes on, the technology to make apps more accessible will also improve. Audio processing technology that can transcribe audio into large text in real time may be a life-saver for the hearing impaired. Such innovation could also aid seniors in their day to day communication, making life much easier for them.

Retirement is known endearingly in many parts of the world as the second childhood, and those reentering this phase are keen to make the most out of life and enjoy it as much as possible. It is vital that they are able to exploit new technology in order to do so, just the same as everyone else.

Barry He is a London-based columnist for China Daily.