The Impact of Interface Design Element Features on Task Performance in Older Adults: Evidence from Eye-Tracking and EEG Signals

Chengmin Zhou, Fangfang Yuan, Ting Huang, Yurong Zhang and Jake Kaner
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Chengmin Zhou: College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Fangfang Yuan: College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Ting Huang: College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yurong Zhang: College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Jake Kaner: Nottingham School of Art and Design, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-24

Abstract: It is crucial that the interface design of mobile apps be age-appropriate at this stage of global aging, as the new epidemic has resulted in a higher sense of isolation among older persons. In this study, four typical senior social service mobile applications were chosen to give older persons the ability to complete user login duties. The participants were 16 older adults (7 men and 9 women) aged 55 to 76. Both objective and subjective data, including task completion time, gaze length, pupil diameter changes, EEG wave amplitude changes, and subjective sensations of older persons, were gathered using a combination of eye-movement and EEG signal approaches. The program was created to investigate the effects of interface design aspects on older people’s task performance, including interface layout, interface color, information density, icon size and position, etc. The study’s findings revealed that when the user task completion time and average fixation duration were shorter, the line of sight was more equally distributed, the visual focus was closer to the login button, and the average EEG amplitude of the user changed more, the older adults performed better. The palace layout had a more positive effect on job completion among older individuals when it came to interface layout. In terms of interface color, colored (contrasting) colors should serve to highlight the interface’s essential information points while they can be removed. In terms of interface information density, a low-density level interface design can simplify and lower the cognitive load of task execution for older people. The first level of icons in the interface and their position in the visual center of the interface is the best interface design for older persons in terms of icon size and position. The results of this study have theoretical ramifications for a thorough understanding of the factors influencing older people’s task performance, practical ramifications for the design of older people-centered interfaces, and they contribute to our understanding of the characteristics of older people’s interface interaction behavior.

Keywords: interface design; user experience; design element features; eye tracking; EEG signals; older persons (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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