Age-related differences in the initial usability of mobile device icons

TLDR

Older adults (65+) have great potential to benefit from mobile devices, yet they adopt them more slowly than younger users and research has rarely examined whether existing graphical icons are harder for them to use. The study aims to determine whether existing mobile device icons are more difficult for older adults compared with younger adults. The authors performed a qualitative exploratory study followed by an experimental study to identify icon characteristics that improve initial usability for older adults. Older adults experienced more icon usage problems, but icons that are semantically close, familiar, labelled, and concrete improved usability for them.

Abstract

Mobile devices offer much potential to support older adults (age 65+). However, older adults have been relatively slow to adopt mobile devices. Although much ongoing HCI research has examined usability problems to address this issue, little work has looked at whether existing graphical icons are harder to use for this population compared with younger adults. We conducted a qualitative exploratory study and a follow-up experimental study to determine which icon characteristics help initial icon usability for older adults. We found that our older participants did have more problems using existing mobile device icons, but that particular icon characteristics – semantically close meaning (i.e. natural, close link between depicted objects and associated function), familiar, labelled and concrete (i.e. those depicting real-world objects) – improved icon usability for them. We discuss how these findings can help icon designers to create mobile device icons that are more suited to the abilities and technology experience of older adults.