User Experience Design of Intelligent Companion Robots for the Elderly Based on the Structural Equation Model

WANG Yang; ZHU Liping; LI Yongfeng

doi:10.19798/j.cnki.2096-6946.2026.03.011

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Industrial & Engineering Design ›› 2026, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (3) : 114-125. DOI: 10.19798/j.cnki.2096-6946.2026.03.011

Design Innovation and Application

User Experience Design of Intelligent Companion Robots for the Elderly Based on the Structural Equation Model

WANG Yang, ZHU Liping^*, LI Yongfeng

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Abstract

The work aims to enhance the user experience of elderly individuals when using intelligent companion robots. Starting from the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived adaptability and perceived aesthetics of intelligent companion robots, the theory of planned behavior is integrated with the extended technology acceptance model to build a model of factors influencing the elderly's willingness to use. A questionnaire on the willingness to use intelligent companion robots for the elderly is designed and the elderly users are selected to conduct a questionnaire survey. The influence path and mechanism of the usage behavior of intelligent companion robots for the elderly are explored through the structural equation model. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived aesthetics and perceived adaptability, as the core elements, directly influence the willingness of the elderly to use, and these factors can also have an indirect impact on the willingness of the elderly to use through mediating variables. Drawing on the analysis findings, a set of strategies, encompassing usefulness-focused, ease-of-use-focused, adaptability-focused, and aesthetics-focused approaches, are put forward to enhance the user experience of intelligent companion robots for the elderly and offer guidance for the design of such robots.

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user experience / intelligent interaction / structural equation model / companion robot / the elderly

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WANG Yang, ZHU Liping, LI Yongfeng. User Experience Design of Intelligent Companion Robots for the Elderly Based on the Structural Equation Model[J]. Industrial & Engineering Design. 2026, 8(3): 114-125 https://doi.org/10.19798/j.cnki.2096-6946.2026.03.011

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