Retrieving critical design factor of ebook for older people in Taiwan

Human reading habits have changed in recent years, as the popularity of e-readers has rapidly increased. Consumers are increasingly favoring tablets, smartphones and other digital devices over traditional books. However, population aging is an emerging issue in the world. The percentage of elderly people in the general population in Taiwan is increasing annually, according to the Taiwan Ministry of the Interior. Therefore, designing suitable digital device interfaces for the elderly users is increasingly important. This study adopts group decision-making methods to identify the ebook design criteria recommended by experts, academics and users. The critical factors of ebook design for the elderly in Taiwan are determined by fuzzy Delphi method and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The study compares the recommendations of experts and users, and finds that a cognitive difference between the two groups. These findings provide new thinking for designers of e-readers.