Usability Issues and Design Guidelines for User Interfaces for Elderly Users

Abstract

The world population is growing rapidly, and so is the number of elderly people who face not only health-related issues but also the challenge of social isolation. While a lot of research focused on improving the quality of daily life has been carried out, the unique needs of the elderly are usually neglected. Mainstream technology designs can be challenging for elderly users to learn and adopt. Therefore, significant efforts have been made in recent years to fill the gap between the physical and digital worlds for elderly users. This article aims to review the existing research on designing intuitive User Interfaces (UIs) for the aging population to make them comfortable with the technology and keep their social circles active. A careful literature review revealed that there still exist limited research contributions in this context. Therefore, several recommendations and design guidelines are provided for future research regarding UI design, keeping in view the limitations of the elderly.