Research On Usability Design Of Communication Products For Empty-nest Elderly

The Chinese society has entered an aging society for many years,and with the development of economic and social,the aging process has gradually accelerated the trend.At the same time,a large number of the elderly empty nest phenomenon appears.Empty-nest elderly need communication,it will inevitably come into contact with communication products,however,there are still many problems in communication products on the market for Empty Nester.In such a background,the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors impacting usability of empty-nest elderly communication product,compare the importance of each factor,provide the basis for usability design.Firstly,in this paper,through the secondary data research and questionnaire survey,we understand that the old people's acceptance of the communication products is in a state of contradiction: old products can't meet the demand,the elderly isn't able to use high-tech products and can't find a way to learn.On this foundation,the in-depth research about the details of using of communication products is conducted.The influence factors of operation efficiency to complete the task were analyzed out: using experience,physiological condition,psychological factor,product functionality,user interface,operation process.Then,on the basis of the influence factors of acceptance status and operation efficiency,considering the attributes of usability,the influence factors of usability for empty-nest elderly were summarized as followed: physiological factor,psychological factor,using experience,product functionality,user interface,operation process,support availability.Then,the importance degree of each factor were conclude by comparing the score of each factor,as followed: using experience > support availability > user interface > product functionality > psychological factor > physiological factor > operation process.On the basis of the above research results,the design principles to improve product usability were proposed: suitable function settings must base on emotional demands,respect for empty-nest elderly's obtained experience,interface and operation must match the cognitive mode of tasks.At last the design principles were used to design smart communication terminal for empty-nest elderly.