Culturally Driven Emotional Connection in Technology Acceptance: Extending TAM for Elderly Smartphone Interface Design
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Abstract
As population ageing accelerates, the acceptance of smartphone interfaces among elderly users has become an important challenge for digital inclusion. Many existing smartphone interfaces remain insufficiently adapted to elderly users’ operating habits and cognitive characteristics, limiting their effective use. To address this issue, this study investigates the factors influencing elderly users’ acceptance of smartphone interfaces based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). An exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed. Semi-structured interviews with nine elderly smartphone users in the Minnan region of China were conducted to identify key influencing factors, followed by a questionnaire survey of 433 elderly users to empirically validate the proposed relationships. Perceived Affective Connection (PAC) is defined as an affective response triggered by culturally familiar interface cues, such as regional symbols, local dialects, and place-related imagery. The results show that PAC significantly predicts ATU (β = 0.183, P < 0.001). By integrating PAC grounded in Arnold’s Appraisal Theory of Emotion, this study extends the traditional TAM and demonstrates how regional culture functions as an active emotional trigger rather than a background variable. The findings provide theoretical insights into technology acceptance among elderly users and inform emotionally and culturally grounded interface design.
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