The Design of Social Media Mobile Application Interface for the Elderly

The world's proportion of senior citizens is increasing and is estimated to reach 22% by 2050. The effort to create an elder-friendly world should span across all products, including the design of a mobile application interface. While human's dependencies on mobile applications will only continue to rise, there are very few systematic studies that validate the proper design of mobile application interface for the elderly. This study aims to serve as a reference on the design of social media mobile application interface for the elderly. The study began with a questionnaire survey of mobile device proficiency of a group of elderly. Then, they were asked to evaluate a social media mobile application designed for the elderly. Their feedback was collected from questionnaire survey as well as from interview. Based on their feedback, some findings on the design of social media mobile user interface for the elderly were discussed. It was found that physical-related design challenge is easier to deal with compared to cognitive issue. More studies were needed to suggest an effective cognitive-related interface design guideline for the elderly.