Assessment And Optimization Of Icon Buttons In Typical Apps For Elderly People Based On Affordance

With the development of mobile Internet technology and the popularity of smartphones,improving the interaction efficiency and experience of mobile applications(Apps)for elderly users has become an important way to bridge the digital divide.The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology(MIIT)has started the first batch of app aging transformation since 2021,mainly focusing on simplifying app functions,enlarging interface elements,etc.,but lacking deeper transformation of interface elements such as icons.As one of the most basic and important elements in the app interface,icon buttons have been widely studied.Previous studies mainly focused on the usability research of icon buttons in specific apps from the aspects of perception,comprehensibility,etc.,and the research results have certain limitations in guiding more extensive app design.On the other hand,the affordance theory has been proven to systematically evaluate the interaction design of app interfaces and elements,thereby improving interaction efficiency and experience.In summary,this study takes icon buttons as the research entry point,based on a comprehensive investigation of the typical app application needs of elderly users,systematically examines the affordance issues of app icon buttons,proposes targeted optimization strategies,and verifies the effectiveness of optimization through comparative experiments.This study includes three parts: Part 1 mainly investigates the application needs of elderly users through literature review and questionnaire survey.Part 2 first constructs an Affordance Structure Matrix(ASM)suitable for icon button design for elderly users based on literature analysis and expert evaluation methods,which is used to evaluate the affordance issues of icon buttons in typical apps.On this basis,combined with the usability issues obtained from user evaluation methods,the main icon button interaction problems encountered by elderly users in the process of using typical apps are extracted.Part 3 first optimizes and prototypes typical icon button problems,and verifies the effectiveness of the optimization strategy by examining the interaction experience of elderly users in the app before and after optimization.Based on the above research,the following conclusions are drawn:(1)As of 2021,the apps commonly used by elderly users include social communication(We Chat),audio and video entertainment(Tik Tok,Kuaishou),news and information(Today’s Headlines),life shopping(Pinduoduo),and financial services(Alipay).However,due to a lack of trust,elderly users lack the use of important medicalrelated apps.Elderly users mainly use these apps for chatting and interacting with friends,browsing videos,browsing news,group shopping,and payment and transfer.(2)The main icon button problems encountered by elderly users in app usage are: in terms of sensory affordance,the location of icon buttons and feedback are not easy to find,and the contrast is low;in terms of cognitive affordance,the function of icon buttons is not unique,the style cannot clearly indicate its functional meaning or interaction method,and the text comprehension is low;in terms of physical affordance,the operational gesture of icon buttons is difficult,and the distance from other controls is too small.(3)The icon button optimization strategy proposed in this study is verified to be effective through comparative experiments,and the optimized app prototype based on this is significantly better than the pre-optimized version in terms of affordance rating and usability preference.(4)This study constructs a set of affordance evaluation and optimization tools for icon button design for elderly users.Among them,the ASM matrix can assist evaluators in identifying low-affordance icon button designs from the sensory,cognitive,and physical dimensions.Based on the affordance principles of icon button design for the elderly,guidance is provided for the affordance design of icon buttons from sensory,cognitive,and physical aspects.The results of this study provide effective evaluation and optimization tools for deepening aging transformation and further enrich the research on human-computer interaction related to the elderly population.