Impact of the density of the elements belonging to the quick access area of a smartphone app on the visual search efficiency and user experience of elderly people

In the digital age, the dependence of the elderly on smartphones is growing; and the frequency of use and time spent on various apps continue to grow. The display elements belonging to the quick access area on the homepage of an app act as shortcuts for navigation, directly affecting the search efficiency and user experience of the elderly when they use the app. In this study, we aim to investigate the impact of the density of the elements (icons and their text labels) located on the quick access area of smartphone apps on the visual search efficiency and user experience of elderly people. First, three typical density designs were extracted by collating and analyzing the density rules for the elements belonging to the quick access areas on the homepages of existing elderly-oriented versions of mainstream apps. Then, the densities of three elements in the quick access area on the homepage of a takeout app were used for a case study involving 96 elderly subjects, who were invited to participate in the task search test and user interviews. The results showed that the density of the elements in the app’s quick access area had no significant effect on the visual search efficiency of the subjects but had a certain impact on the user experience. Additionally, the older elderly subjects preferred designs with lower density, while the younger elderly ones, who had more online shopping experience, preferred designs with higher density. The subjects were more concerned about the ease of use and the overall user experience of the quick access area than its visual aesthetics. The research results not only provide a theoretical reference and design basis for designing icons and text labels belonging to the quick access area of apps, considering the density of these elements in the context of elderly-oriented apps, but also offers inspiration for improving the user experience of elderly people that use apps.