Key user experience principles in designing computer interfaces for emotionally vulnerable user groups

Abstract

The highly integrated Society 5.0 enables a ubiquitous computing world driven by exponential growth of digital technologies. User interface designers must therefore find new architectures and -designs in order to compete in a digital world. User experience (UX) design is the overarching term that expresses the philosophies, approaches, tools and techniques related to the two distinct yet overlapping fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and user-centered design (UCD). In order to create reliable and realistic representations of key audience segments, personas are used as a mechanism to simulate the engagement with the computer interface. Personas for distressed and vulnerable users take cognizance of a user’s emotional state and potentially unique interaction with the computer interface. The purpose of this study is to consider the key UX principles in designing computer interfaces for vulnerable user groups. Two datasets, consisting of a systematic review of the literature and eye-tracking data, were collected and analyzed. We established 5 key UX principles relevant to vulnerable users entailing simplicity, support, action, engagement, look and feel, and constraint. By applying the key UX principles for vulnerable user groups, designers can ensure that a potentially emotional experience is managed well via the computer interface.