Age-friendly Interaction Mechanisms and Interface Design of Mobile Travel APPs Based on the CLT-TAM Model

HU Bingkun; ZHAO Yiqian

doi:10.19798/j.cnki.2096-6946.2026.03.012

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Industrial & Engineering Design ›› 2026, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (3) : 126-135. DOI: 10.19798/j.cnki.2096-6946.2026.03.012

Design Innovation and Application

Age-friendly Interaction Mechanisms and Interface Design of Mobile Travel APPs Based on the CLT-TAM Model

HU Bingkun¹, ZHAO Yiqian^2,*

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Abstract

With the growing demand for and reliance on intelligent travel APPs among elderly users, existing travel APPs generally lack age-friendly design, featuring complex interaction processes and redundant interface elements, increasing the cognitive load of elderly users during use and reducing their usage intention. Therefore, focusing on the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms of elderly users when using travel APPs, the work aims to propose age-friendly interface design strategies. Based on the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive loads are taken as latent variables to construct a model of factors influencing elderly users' usage intention of travel APPs. The causal relationships and mediating effects among variables are tested, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is adopted for empirical verification. The results show that extraneous cognitive load has a significantly negative impact on perceived ease of use, intrinsic cognitive load exerts a significantly negative effect on perceived usefulness, and germane cognitive load has a significantly positive influence on perceived usefulness. Among all factors, perceived ease of use has the most prominent impact on elderly users' usage intention. Specific strategies such as reducing redundant interface information and menu levels, strengthening text prompts and voice interaction, and improving interface visual clarity and operational consistency can effectively reduce the cognitive load of elderly users and enhance their usage intention. This work provides theoretical support and practical guidance for the age-friendly design of mobile travel APPs in the context of an aging society.

Key words

mobile APPs / Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) / Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) / Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) / age-friendly design / interface optimization design

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HU Bingkun, ZHAO Yiqian. Age-friendly Interaction Mechanisms and Interface Design of Mobile Travel APPs Based on the CLT-TAM Model[J]. Industrial & Engineering Design. 2026, 8(3): 126-135 https://doi.org/10.19798/j.cnki.2096-6946.2026.03.012

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