The Usability Issues Encountered in the Design Features of Intelligent Products for Older Adults in China: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This study aims to expand upon the understanding of the multifaceted usability issues older adults encounter when using intelligent products. This was achieved by synthesizing extant research findings to come to an understanding of why usability issues still exist in intelligent products for older adults in China, even when appropriate design features are incorporated. This review was conducted by searching the literature on the Scopus, Springer, ScienceDirect, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases as well as Google Scholar using the terms “older adults in China”, “intelligent products”, and “usability.” Forty-three studies from between 2007 and 2022 were included in the review. The results reveal three salient aspects directly related to the usability issues of intelligent products experienced by older adults in China: (1) the usefulness of the product; (2) the ease of use of the product; and (3) the impact of the policy. The first two impact the effectiveness of the use of intelligent products, while the lack of policy intervention in the management system of intelligent products results in product clutter. This review provides insights for designers by proposing a conceptual framework for an intelligent product service platform for older adults, which will help researchers and research teams better understand the usability issues according to older adults’ feedback on intelligent products. We suggest a unified standard for intelligent product management in the future that is compatible across systems and reduces older adults’ learning stress.