| Sumario: | Objective: To address challenges faced by older adults in smart home interface operations, such as high cognitive load and symbol recognition difficulties, this study attempts to propose a preliminary age-friendly interaction design method based on the "Long-term Memory Mapping (LMM) model" and explore the potential value of nostalgic symbols in interface design. Method: Through literature analysis and in-depth interviews, nostalgic symbols familiar to older adults were identified, and a five-layer LMM structural model was constructed. Retro-style icons with a 1980s aesthetic were designed. A within-subject controlled experiment was conducted with 15 older adults aged 60-75 to compare their performance between the nostalgic icon group and the modern flat icon group in terms of first-time recognition accuracy, task completion time, and error frequency. Results: The nostalgic icon group performed better than the control group in first-time recognition accuracy, task completion time, and error frequency. Conclusion: The preliminary findings of this exploratory study suggest that the use of nostalgic symbols is associated with the activation of long-term memory in older adults and may contribute to reduced cognitive load and improved operational efficiency. The LMM model offers some insights for the design of age-friendly interfaces in smart homes; however, the specific contribution of the "nostalgia effect" and its causal mechanisms still require further testing in future studies that strictly control for confounding variables.
|
|---|