A Research Study to Investigate User Interface Experiences of Social Media Users, Over the Age of 60

Abstract

The fact that internet technologies become an indispensable part of everyday life has brought attention to the needs of different users' interface design requirements. The interface designs of social media that are openly used by people from every age group require different designs for different age groups. Just as in applications like SnapChat, it is possible to reach a target group composed of certain age groups by differentiating the interface design. Interface design can be customized to serve specific niches. In this context, it is important to identify the interactions, needs and challenges of different age groups with user interface design. In order to determine these needs, it is the aim of this paper to conduct a survey of the attitudes of social media users over the age of 60 on their demographic, social media and user interface design. The target set in the research process was directed to 137 social media users with questions about social media interactions and their needs, and the results were interpreted through four questions that formed the basis of the research. One of the key findings of the survey is that users over the age of 60 need to zoom in on their social media sites through the devices they are connected with. In these social media applications, the background colors are considered to be the most important criteria for the users of this age group. As a result of this research, the necessity of customized interface designs for different age groups and the necessity of having the personalization feature of these interfaces became evident.