| At present,aging is getting deeper and deeper,while information technologies such as Internet,big data and artificial intelligence are gradually emerging,the demand for smart devices among the elderly continues to grow and there are more and more scenarios of using Internet.As a visual symbol for interaction,icons play an important role in the interaction process between elderly users and digital interfaces.Along with the growth of physiological age,the cognitive ability of the elderly gradually ages,so improving the cognitive efficiency of icons and reducing cognitive barriers become important issues that need to be solved in the interaction between elderly users and digital interfaces.In the current age-appropriate design of interface icons,sensory age-appropriateness is mostly considered,but there is a lack of research on cognitive age-appropriateness for elderly users.As a key element of interactive operation,icons need to reduce the cognitive load and simplify the cognitive operation pressure as much as possible to improve the cognitive performance of elderly users.As a key element to convey information in the interactive interface,it is important to study its cognitive properties and psychological mechanisms to improve the information conveyance and cognitive performance of icons.The research object of this paper is the aging-friendly design of digital graphic interface icons.From the perspective of cognitive load,the theoretical and experimental research on the aging-friendly design of graphic interface icons is conducted from the perspective of cognitive psychology,ergonomics,design and other disciplines,and the results are applied to the design practice.The main research contents of this paper are as follows:First,we systematically review the current research status of visual elements,cognitive elements and cognitive load theory of graphic interface icons in interaction design at home and abroad,and summarize the limitations and problems of previous research.Second,the theories of cognitive load classification,effective control strategies and quantitative analysis methods are explained.We provide an overview of graphic interface icons,analyze the cognitive mechanism and process of users’ icons from the perspective of cognitive psychology and use information processing theory;we conclude the aging-friendly design,the cognitive characteristics of the elderly and the problems arising from the cognitive aging of elderly users,and propose the cognitive demand model of elderly users for icon design.Third,point out the current situation and problems of APP aging suitability,and apply the user research method of quantitative questionnaire survey to dig deeper into the problems encountered by elderly users when using APP,their cognitive situation of interface aging suitability,and the problems of icon design.Fourth,behavioral experiments on icon cognition are conducted to explore the influence of icon style,icon specificity and the joint effect of both on understanding icons by comparing the cognitive differences between young and old user groups.The cognitive performance of different types of icons was analyzed through a comprehensive assessment method of cognitive load with behavioral,physiological and subjective data.Two behavioral response indicators measured experimentally,reaction time and correctness,and eye-movement signals were tested as visual physiological indicators using an oculograph,as well as cognitive load scores and subjective preference scores collected using a Likert scale for the experiment and analysis.Fifth,based on the basic theoretical study of interface icons and the experimental study of icon cognitive behavior,we carry out the practice of age-appropriate design of taxi app for elderly users and verify the feasibility through design evaluation.This paper broadens the research path of graphic interface icon design based on the quantitative research method of cognitive load theory.Embedding cognitive experiments in the research framework of interface icons increases the persuasive power and reference value of the research results.From the perspective of cognitive load,this study combines theories related to cognitive psychology,information processing and human-computer interaction,and summarizes the age-appropriate design direction of graphic interface icons through a combination of theory,experiment and practice.The research results provide reference for the design of interactive interface icons for elderly smart terminals,and have practical significance for designers and developers to enhance more excellent age-appropriate design. |
