The Application Boundaries and Optimization of Emotional Design Theory in Products for the Elderly

Abstract

At present, the number of individuals aged 60 and above in China has exceeded 310 million, with the silver-hair market size projected to surpass 8.8 trillion yuan by 2025.Elderly consumption is experiencing rapid growth, and emotional design, as a core theoretical pillar in the field of user experience, is crucial for the design of products tailored to the elderly. However, during implementation, issues such as the separation of functionality and emotion, and insufficient alignment with user needs often arise. Utilizing Donald Norman's hierarchical theory of emotional design and considering the physical and psychological characteristics of elderly users, this paper comprehensively examines current practices and fundamental limitations in the emotional design of products for the elderly. These limitations include boundary conditions of functional elements, boundary characteristics of user groups, ethical constraints, and cost-benefit relationships. Through analysis of diverse practical cases, a targeted improvement framework is constructed to establish an implementation framework and theoretical system that synergizes functional optimization and emotional empowerment in products for the elderly.