Cognitive Bridges to Digital Inclusion: A Gerontological Framework for Autonomous Technology Learning in Late Adulthood

Abstract

The ubiquitous integration of smartphones has precipitated a paradigm shift in digital service accessibility, simultaneously delivering transformative convenience and escalating operational complexity. Older adult populations, however, encounter disproportionate challenges in assimilating these rapid technological advancements, thereby exacerbating the digital divide. This dissertation confronts this critical issue by proposing a novel framework of assistive systems designed to facilitate autonomous digital skill acquisition among older adults. Employing digital banking as a representative use case, a mixed-methods approach incorporating targeted surveys and semi-structured interviews was first deployed to systematically identify cognitive and interactional barriers to adoption. Building upon these empirical foundations, we engineered a mobile application architecture that synthesizes three pedagogical pillars: (1) asynchronous peer-to-peer support networks, (2) context-aware interactive tutorials, and (3) safeguarded trial-and-error learning environments. Furthermore, this research investigates augmented reality (AR) as a mechanism to provide physical and cognitive support during self-dependent digital learning. The next research phase will implement eye-tracking techniques to distinguish different cognitive load types, subsequently informing the development of an adaptive AI tutoring system capable of real-time, personalized scaffolding. The ultimate scholarly contribution of this work lies in its cognitively-optimized support infrastructure one that not only bridges the digital divide through gerontologically-grounded design principles but also actively cultivates sustained engagement with digital technologies among aging populations.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Supervisor	Huamin QU (Supervisor) & Mingming Fan (Supervisor)