Emotional Empowerment Design for Older People from a Positive Ageing Perspective: A Case Study of Zhengzhou, China

As population ageing is becoming increasingly prominent in today's society, how to enhance the quality of life and well-being of older people through design, so that they can become the dominant players in their own later life, and thus achieve positive ageing, is the main concern of this study. Existing research is not precise enough to identify the emotional needs of older people, has limited response to their diverse needs, and relevant theoretical findings have not been summarised into actionable design strategies. This study adopts a user-centred design approach to systematically investigate older people’s emotional needs and translate these needs into practical design outcomes. Specifically, emotional needs were identified through surveys and semi-structured interviews, which informed the design of an emotionally empowering application prototype. The prototype was then evaluated through heuristic evaluation and usability testing to examine its effectiveness and usability, providing empirical evidence for refining the proposed design strategies. The study further summarises four strategies for empowering the emotional needs of older people: motivation, relationship, Technology and information, describes the design specifications for the emotionally empowering app tailored to their needs, and outlines the challenges and solutions that may be encountered during implementation. Future research will delve deeper into the differences in emotional needs, conduct an evaluation of the long-term effects of emotionally empowering design strategies, and explore their feasibility in real-world scenarios.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

other

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Hu, Qianqian

• BF Seicoleg
• HT Cymunedau. Dosbarthiadau cymdeithasol. Hil
• QA76 Meddalwedd Cyfrifiadurol

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:4243