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Mobile apps are fundamental tools in today's society for practical and social endeavors. However, these technologies are often not usable for older users. Given the increased use of mobile apps by this group of users and the impact that certain services may have on their quality of life, such as mobile health, personal finance, or online administrative procedures, a clear set of guidelines for mobile app designers is needed. Existing recommendations for older adults focus on investigations with certain groups of older adults or have not been extracted from experimental results. In this research work, we systematically reviewed the scientific literature that provided recommendations for the design of mobile apps based on usability testing with older adults and organized such recommendations into a meaningful set of design guidelines. We conducted a systematic literature review of journal and conference articles from 2010 to 2021. We included articles that carried out usability tests with populations aged >60 years and presented transferable guidelines on mobile software design, resulting in a final set of 40 articles. We then carried out a thematic analysis with 3 rounds of analysis to provide meaning to an otherwise diverse set of recommendations. At this stage, we discarded recommendations that were made by just 1 article, were based on a specific mobile app and were therefore nontransferrable, were based on other authors' literature (as opposed to recommendations based on the results of usability tests), or were not sufficiently argued. With the remaining recommendations, we identified commonalities, wrote a faithful statement for each guideline, used a common language for the entire set, and organized the guidelines into categories, thereby giving shape to an otherwise diverse set of recommendations. Among the 27 resulting guidelines, the rules Simplify and Increase the size and distance between interactive controls were transversal and of the greatest significance. The rest of the guidelines were divided into 5 categories (Help & Training, Navigation, Visual Design, Cognitive Load, and Interaction) and consequent subcategories in Visual Design (Layout, Icons, and Appearance) and Interaction (Input and Output). The recommendations were structured, explained in detail, and illustrated with applied examples extracted from the selected studies, where appropriate. We discussed the design implications of applying these guidelines, contextualized with relevant studies. We also discussed the limitations of the approach followed, stressing the need for further experimentation to gain a better understanding of how older adults use mobile apps and how to better design such apps with these users in mind. The compiled guidelines support the design of mobile apps that cater to the needs of older adults because they are based on the results of actual usability tests with users aged >60 years.

Promoting healthy behavior among seniors is important in reducing the burden of care and healthcare expenses in a rapidly aging society. Health apps can play an important role in health promotion for older adults, but the level of user retention in health apps is low. To increase continued health app use among older adults, this study examined the factors influencing older users’ continuance intentions to use health apps. The research model was developed based on the social cognitive theory of health behavior, which integrates cognitive, environmental, and behavioral perspectives. To test the research model, an anonymous online survey was conducted among respondents aged 60 to 79 years who were using health apps. The measurement items in the questionnaire were developed based on validated scales from the literature. A total of 250 samples were analyzed. The assessment of the measurement model indicates that the reliability and validity of the items are satisfactory. The results of testing the structural model illustrate the determinants of health app continuance intention: health technology self-efficacy, self-evaluative outcome expectations, self-regulation, and privacy risk. The interrelationships among determinants are also investigated. Theoretical and practical implications are suggested to encourage older adults’ continued health app use and promote their health behavior over the long term.

Monitoring the posture of older persons using portable sensors while they carry out daily activities can facilitate the process of generating indicators with which to evaluate their health and quality of life. The majority of current research into such sensors focuses primarily on their functionality and accuracy, and minimal effort is dedicated to understanding the experience of older persons who interact with the devices. This study proposes a wearable device to identify the bodily postures of older persons, while also looking into the perceptions of the users. For the purposes of this study, thirty independent and semi-independent older persons undertook eight different types of physical activity, including: walking, raising arms, lowering arms, leaning forward, sitting, sitting upright, transitioning from standing to sitting, and transitioning from sitting to standing. The data was classified offline, achieving an accuracy of 93.5%, while overall device user perception was positive. Participants rated the usability of the device, in addition to their overall user experience, highly.

The ability of human beings to live longer is an outstanding achievement of science in the 21st century. New technologies and innovations have an essential role in ensuring the well-being of the new generation. By adopting Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, it is possible to improve autonomy, security, and quality of life. However, designing IoT solutions for Home Care and older users brings new challenges to the Human–Computer Interaction field. Older users are heterogeneous and critical users of technology and interactive solutions. In this context, it is necessary to promote the participation of older users in the design process aiming at considering their specificities, intentions of use, and individual preferences and necessities. We propose a co-design method based on Design Thinking and Personas. Our research contributes to methods and a case study assessment regarding IoT-based Home Care solutions’ co-design. The proposed approach considers older users’ wishes and needs in an iterative, creative, and participatory way. We tested the proposed method in a case study with nine older adults. Results indicate the effectiveness and difficulties of involving older users in the design process. Our results contribute to a better understanding of how to carry out participatory activities with older adults in the context of Home Care.

Mobile technologies have dramatically increased the number of work-related interruptions. In many organizations, employees must remain accessible and respond to these technology-mediated (T-M) interruptions even after regular work hours. Thus, demands from work interruptions can spill over into workers’ evening and family time, entailing role stress. Ultimately, workers can shy away from using the technologies they deem responsible, with negative impacts for organizations. This implies an indirect effect of demands from T-M interruptions through workers’ experiences of role stress on the use of mobile technology for work. At the same time, the workforce is aging rapidly, and there is a strong reason to assume that older workers may be significantly more susceptible to the negative impacts of interruptions than their younger counterparts. Therefore, the focus of this research is on examining whether the indirect effect of demands from T-M interruptions via workers’ experiences of role stress on the use of mobile technology depends on age such that it is stronger for older workers. Data collected from 135 younger and 137 older knowledge workers supported this idea. The data also show that experience with mobile devices can help older users manage the consequences of interruptions more effectively. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

While the widespread adoption of smartphone and tablet devices has led to a rapid proliferation of mobile apps, these apps seldom feature user interfaces (UI) geared towards older users (i.e., 60 years and older). In this paper, we report on a scoping review that we conducted to investigate what design considerations researchers consider when developing mobile apps for older users. Structured along the transmission model of communication, we conceptualize users’ interaction with mobile apps as a bidirectional communication process that involves source, transmitter, receiver, and destination. Building on this conceptualization, we synthesize the considerations that the reviewed studies applied in their mobile app design for older users and provide design guidelines in the form of a practical checklist for system developers. Our findings provide important insights into the challenges that researchers encounter when designing mobile apps for older users and how they can address these challenges.

The social compensation hypothesis posits that computer-mediated communication can offset psychosocial vulnerabilities among users who face barriers to face-to-face interaction, thereby enhancing well-being. Yet, there is no validated instrument to assess which design features of digital systems enable such compensation. To develop and validate a Social Compensation Design Scale (SCDS) for urban older adults living alone, situated within smart-home social media as part of home-based, health-enabling environments. We conducted a three-phase study from an information systems design perspective: item generation and expert review via a Delphi process, followed by two questionnaire surveys. Valid responses were obtained from 340 and 357 urban older adults, respectively. Psychometric analyses (reliability and validity testing) were conducted across two independent samples. The SCDS comprises four dimensions-User Interface Quality, Interaction Quality, Content Quality, and Service Quality-with 16 items overall. Across samples, the scale demonstrated strong internal consistency and construct validity. The SCDS offers a concise, user-centred measure for evaluating how smart-home social media design supports psychosocial well-being in older adults aging in place. The scale provides researchers and designers with a structured toolkit for assessing user experience in health-related home environments and for informing design decisions that promote acceptance and sustained use of digital health applications among older populations.

Diary studies are used to gather user information in their natural context. Despite the advantages of digital diaries, older users are not able to fully benefit from them, e.g. due to decreased motor and cognitive abilities, and low digital skills. This work presents InMyDay, a digital diary application specifically designed and implemented for older users. The goal of this work is twofold: first, we research whether older users are able to record activities and reflect on their emotions using a digital diary. Then, using the results of this first phase, we implemented three input styles for the second version of the digital diary: voice, stylus, and keyboard. Overall, 23 older users participated in evaluations aimed at improving the design of the diary and understanding their input style preferences. We found that the older adults used the diary to reflect on their emotions, registering positive as well as negative emotions. We also found that the variety of choices in input styles helped the participants select the option most suited to their particular needs and preferences. Future work will focus on evaluating the digital diary over a longer period of time, to analyze variables such as long-term adoption and motivation, as well as trends in the selection of input styles.

Robots have been proposed as intelligent technology that can support the independent living and health of older adults. While significant advances are being made regarding hardware and intelligent software to support autonomous actions of robots, less emphasis has been put on designing robot behavior that is comprehensible and pleasant for older adults. However, good usability and user experience are crucial factors for acceptance and long-term use. One way to actively engage older adults in behavioral design for social robots is participatory design. The Modality Card Deck is proposed, a tool that helps to engage older adults in human-robot interaction design process and participate in design decision for robot behavior. The cards guide the users towards creating ideas for design solutions which are detailed enough to be implemented by interaction designers and software developers. This paper provides a detailed description of the Modality Card Deck and presents an evaluation of the tool in the scope of a case study. In the case study, the card deck was used in participatory design workshops with older adults to develop multi-modal robot behaviors for the Pepper robot and a quiz game application. After describing the procedure of the case study, the workshop results and learnings about working with the Modality Card Deck and older adults are presented.