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Designing User Interfaces of Mobile Apps for Older Adults: Literature Review and Design Guide

Jacqueline D. Bailey et al.

AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction2025https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00233article
AJG 2ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

While the widespread adoption of smartphone and tablet devices has led to a rapid proliferation of mobile apps, these apps seldom feature user interfaces (UI) geared towards older users (i.e., 60 years and older). In this paper, we report on a scoping review that we conducted to investigate what design considerations researchers consider when developing mobile apps for older users. Structured along the transmission model of communication, we conceptualize users’ interaction with mobile apps as a bidirectional communication process that involves source, transmitter, receiver, and destination. Building on this conceptualization, we synthesize the considerations that the reviewed studies applied in their mobile app design for older users and provide design guidelines in the form of a practical checklist for system developers. Our findings provide important insights into the challenges that researchers encounter when designing mobile apps for older users and how they can address these challenges.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00233

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@article{jacqueline2025,
  title        = {{Designing User Interfaces of Mobile Apps for Older Adults: Literature Review and Design Guide}},
  author       = {Jacqueline D. Bailey et al.},
  journal      = {AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00233},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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