Jin Shining
School of Design, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 18;16:1609302. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1609302. eCollection 2025.
This study is purposed to assess the user experience factors of elderly mobile applications from the cognitive psychology perspective and establish a comprehensive evaluation index system for the elderly-friendly experience of mobile applications.
The research subjects were the elderly. Their basic information, mobilephone usage experience, and demands for elderly-friendly experience were collected via questionnaires. The questionnaire design with a focus on the cognitive capabilities of the elderly as well as their emotional responses. Factor analysis was employed to process the questionnaire data, and three main factors were extracted: perceivability, operability, and comprehensibility. Additionally, the actual usage of two elderly-friendly mobile applications (WeChat and Toutiao Big Font Version) was evaluated through task tests. The task tests involved tasks such as mode switching, information viewing, and completion of specific operations.
The research findings demonstrate that perceptibility, operability, and comprehensibility are the principal factors affecting the mobile application experience of elderly users. Specifically, factors such as adjusting the font size of the interface, increasing the line spacing and character spacing of paragraph text, and providing images and text descriptions on the interface have a significant impact on the user experience. For instance, larger fonts and clear icon designs can significantly enhance the information perception ability of the elderly and reduce visual fatigue. Simple gesture operations and sufficient response time contribute to improving operability and resolving the operational difficulties resulting from the elderly's motor skill limitations. Furthermore, the research also discovered that the age of elderly users have varying degrees of influence on the evaluation indicators of elderly-friendly design.
This study, starting from the cognitive psychology perspective, proposes a scientific evaluation framework for elderly-friendly design, emphasizing the significance of considering the cognitive abilities and emotional needs of elderly users in the design process. The research results provide a theoretical foundation for the design and improvement of mobile applications, facilitating the enhancement of the usage experience and satisfaction of elderly users. Future research can further expand the sample range, conduct long-term follow-up studies, and integrate emerging technologies to optimize elderly-friendly design.
本研究旨在从认知心理学角度评估老年移动应用的用户体验因素，并建立移动应用老年友好体验的综合评价指标体系。
以老年人为研究对象，通过问卷调查收集其基本信息、手机使用经验以及对老年友好体验的需求。问卷设计聚焦于老年人的认知能力及其情感反应。采用因子分析法对问卷数据进行处理，提取出三个主要因素：可感知性、可操作性和可理解性。此外，通过任务测试对两款老年友好型移动应用（微信和今日头条大字版）的实际使用情况进行评估。任务测试包括模式切换、信息查看和特定操作完成等任务。
研究结果表明，可感知性、可操作性和可理解性是影响老年用户移动应用体验的主要因素。具体而言，界面字体大小调整、段落文本行间距和字符间距增加以及界面提供图像和文字描述等因素对用户体验有显著影响。例如，较大的字体和清晰的图标设计可显著提高老年人的信息感知能力并减轻视觉疲劳。简单的手势操作和充足的响应时间有助于提高可操作性并解决因老年人运动技能受限导致的操作困难。此外，研究还发现老年用户的年龄对老年友好设计的评价指标有不同程度的影响。
本研究从认知心理学角度出发，提出了老年友好设计的科学评价框架，强调在设计过程中考虑老年用户认知能力和情感需求的重要性。研究结果为移动应用的设计和改进提供了理论基础，有助于提高老年用户的使用体验和满意度。未来研究可进一步扩大样本范围，进行长期跟踪研究，并整合新兴技术以优化老年友好设计。
