Customised City Maps in Mobile Applications for Senior Citizens

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Gerontology
• Usability Engineering

Background:

• Mobile map services are increasingly vital for navigation and information access.
• Senior citizens represent a growing demographic with specific accessibility needs.
• Current map service designs may not adequately cater to the visual and cognitive requirements of older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the suitability of commonly used map services for senior citizens.
• To investigate whether existing map applications meet the accessibility needs of the elderly population.
• To identify potential areas for improvement in map service design for older users.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of contrast ratios between popular map services.
• Evaluation of a custom-rendered map optimized for elderly users.
• Qualitative assessment of map features relevant to senior citizens' usability.

Main Results:

• Commonly used map services exhibit suboptimal contrast ratios for elderly users.
• An optimized custom-rendered map demonstrated significantly improved contrast.
• Specific design elements in standard maps may pose challenges for older adults.

Conclusions:

• Standard map services may not fully meet the needs of senior citizens.
• Customized map designs with enhanced contrast ratios can improve accessibility.
• Further research into user-centered design for elderly map users is warranted.