SynthesisAging clinical and experimental research2025
Optimizing mobile app design for older adults: systematic review of age-friendly design.
Synthesis in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effect of mobile applications in oral health promotion among elderly people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC oral health · 2026Pooled it
- Interactive interfaces and wearable technologies for enhancing health management among older adults: a systematic review.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Personalized Smartphone Messaging for Secondary Prevention After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Factors associated with help-seeking for urinary symptoms among Chinese patients with bladder cancer: A qualitative study.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2026Article
- Structured Digital Device Instruction for Older Adults With Stroke During Convalescent Rehabilitation: Prospective Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- An AI-Assisted Cognitive Engagement Mobile App for Older Adults: Development and Mixed Methods Usability Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- 'It felt like surveillance, not support': understanding barriers to enrolling older adults in an energy-linked digital health study during pandemic recovery and the cost-of-living crisis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Healthcare applications for elderly: a scoping review and a practical roadmap for developing health apps.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
- Identifying and Prioritizing Age-Friendly Design Principles and Guidelines for Developing Transportation Planning E-Tools: Scoping Review.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Accessibility features in executive function apps and user performance post-stroke.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The influence of mobile navigation design on older adults cognitive load, affective responses, and digital self-efficacy: mixed-methods study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Robot-Based Cognitive Intervention Effects on Brain Function and Cognition in Patients With Mild Alzheimer's Disease Dementia.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- Digital health readiness among rural hypertensive patients: a latent profile analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- Designing age-friendly interfaces and wearable-environment integrations to enhance medication adherence: a discrete choice experiment among older adults.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- A Generative AI Framework for Cognitive Intervention in Older Adults: An Integrated Engineering Design and Clinical Protocol.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Usability vulnerabilities of elderly adults in at-home COVID-19 self-test kits: findings from a South Korea usability study.BMC public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWith the rapid growth of mobile technology, ensuring accessibility and usability for older adults has become a critical concern. This systematic review evaluates existing age-friendly mobile app design research, identifying key usability barriers and effective strategies for improving accessibility.
methodsThis study reviews English-language research (Published between Jun. 2014 and Mar. 2025) on mobile applications for adults aged 60 + , focusing on user-centered design, usability testing, and age-friendly adaptations. It compares different levels of accessibility features and evaluates their impact on usability, satisfaction, and engagement across various settings. Studies were retrieved from four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore).
resultsThis systematic review initially reviewed 1,556 records. From these, 132 articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings highlight several essential design elements, including simplified navigation, enlarged text and touch targets, voice interaction, and error-tolerant interfaces. Participatory design methods enhanced usability and satisfaction, demonstrating the importance of co-designing applications with older users. However, challenges like cognitive overload, lack of digital literacy, and accessibility barriers persist.
conclusionThe review emphasizes the need for future research on Artificial Intelligence-driven personalization, long-term usability studies, and culturally inclusive mobile applications. By integrating age-friendly design principles, developers can enhance digital inclusion, promote independence, and improve the overall well-being of older adults in an increasingly digital world.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.