Usability Evaluation on Intuitive Interaction between Product Interfaces and Older Adults with Dementia

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore interface features for intuitive interactions for older people with dementia. Research experiments were conducted by examining cooking power configuration settings in the user interfaces of microwave ovens, and the participants involved 25 older people with mild dementia. The initial reaction times and task completion times of the participants were recorded. During the experiments, we also observed the participants to note any difficulties experienced by them while executing the tasks. The results showed that user interfaces that presented information clearly resulted in better perception of affordance for operability and were more likely to elicit intuitive reactions among older people with dementia. However, the elicitation of intuitive reactions does not equate to intuitive usability, as the prior experiences of users facilitate their perceived intended functions and plays an important role in intuitive use. Therefore, user interfaces should be designed in accordance with user prior experiences. These results can serve as a reference for designing product interfaces that are intuitively interactive for older people with dementia.