Effects of different visual styles on elderly users’ interaction behavior in smart sofa interfaces

The usability of wood-based smart furniture interfaces for elderly users remains a critical challenge in aging-in-place solutions. This study aims to explore the most effective visual presentation styles of sofa illustrations in the smart sofa mobile app interface, with the goal of reducing cognitive load and enhancing the interaction experience for elderly users. To achieve this, we evaluated the cognitive responses of elderly users to different visual presentation styles through eye-tracking experiments and correctness analysis. As the results show, the four visual presentation styles exhibited comparable attention levels but diverged in concentration patterns. A 3D modeling schematic focused on peripheral interface areas, whereas physical product schematic and planar schematic emphasized hardware components. Abstract styles increased cognitive resource allocation and prolonged information processing. Pupil diameter and time to first fix (TTFF) data indicated that the 3D schematic imposed the lowest cognitive difficulty and pressure, while physical product schematic and 3D modeling schematic provided superior real-time feedback clarity. Therefore, wood-based smart sofa interface design should address elderly users’ needs by optimizing visual presentation styles, reducing cognitive load and stress, and improving attention. Future research should explore multi-channel human-computer interaction to support smart sofa adoption for aging in place.