Abstract:

People of different ages and skills use the Internet, and there have been a number of attempts to tailor web interfaces to meet their differing needs. However, investigating how these different groups use the Internet can offer benefits for business through targeting user satisfaction. This study investigates the performance of groups of expert and non-expert, elderly and young people when surfing the Internet. Usability testing, direct observation and a questionnaire are used in order to show the differences in the groups’ performance. This is intended to show the differences among the groups and to offer a set of recommendations to web designers and developers in order to help them understand how people with different ages and skills behave on the Internet.