Interaction Design Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
J Gerontol Soc Work. 2023 Jul;66(5):662-679. doi: 10.1080/01634372.2022.2139319. Epub 2022 Oct 30.
Icon cognitive impairment is one of the main difficulties for older users to use smart products. This study explores the impact of icon style, icon concreteness and both together on understanding icons by comparing the cognitive differences between two groups of users, young and old. The performance of different types of icons on cognitive performance was analyzed specifically through a comprehensive cognitive load assessment method of behavioral, physiological and subjective data. The results showed that the cognitive performance of skeuomorphism concrete icons was higher and the cognitive load was lower when the user group was novice or older users with less experience in interacting with the GUI; the cognitive performance of flat concrete icons was higher and the cognitive load was lower when the user group was familiar or young users with more experience in interacting with the GUI. From the perspective of cognitive differences between young and old, the results of this study provide a reference for future icon design of interactive interfaces for older people smart terminals to help designers and developers achieve a better user experience for the aging group, which has practical significance for the age-friendly design of graphical interfaces.
图标的认知障碍是老年用户使用智能产品的主要困难之一。本研究通过比较年轻用户和老年用户这两组用户的认知差异，探讨了图标的风格、具体程度以及两者共同对理解图标的影响。通过行为、生理和主观数据的综合认知负荷评估方法，具体分析了不同类型图标对认知表现的影响。结果表明，在用户群体为新手或与 GUI 交互经验较少的老年用户时，拟物化具体图标的认知表现更高，认知负荷更低；而在用户群体为熟悉或与 GUI 交互经验较多的年轻用户时，扁平具体图标的认知表现更高，认知负荷更低。从年轻和老年用户的认知差异来看，本研究的结果为未来老年人智能终端交互界面的图标设计提供了参考，有助于设计师和开发人员为老年用户群体实现更好的用户体验，对图形界面的友好化设计具有实际意义。
