Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1403978
This article is part of the Research Topic Patterns of technology-enhanced digital literacy of older adults View all articles

Empowering Older Adults: Evaluating the Impact of a Smartphone Education App on Independent Living

Provisionally accepted
YESHIN WOO YESHIN WOO 1Ga-in Shin Ga-in Shin 2*Hae Yean Park Hae Yean Park 3*
  • 1 Yonsei University, Wonju, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 3 Yonsei University, Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: As science and technology advance, older people's ability to use smart devices in their daily living is becoming more demanding. This study addresses the increasing use of smartphones by the elderly, who often struggle with technology due to lack of competence. We developed an educational app tailored for elderly users and compare its effectiveness with existing educational videos.Methods: An app was created based on the learning characteristics of the elderly, using the ADDIE model, and compared with traditional video education. It involved six participants aged 65 or older, and convenience sampling method was used, evaluating the app and video through usability assessments and eye tracking. Quantitative and qualitative analyzes were conducted with focus groups under the researcher's control.Results: The app received higher usability scores than the video in content, motivation, and interaction. Eye tracking showed users paid more consistent attention to the app.The smartphone app facilitates learning for the elderly without the constraints of time and place, improving their quality of life and technology skills. Eye tracking can be instrumental in future app development for this demographic.

    Keywords: Enhancing Daily Life and Public Transport Use Elderly, smartphone, Education, Usage, Eye-tracker

    Received: 23 Apr 2024; Accepted: 23 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 WOO, Shin and Park. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ga-in Shin, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
    Hae Yean Park, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.