Elderly-Oriented Apps in China
China’s internet companies are rapidly reinventing their products to help the country’s ageing population.
In November 2020, the General Office of the State Council of China issued an Implementation Plan to Solve Technological Difficulties Faced by the Elderly. A month later, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced their plan regarding the “Special Action to Make Internet Applications Elderly-Oriented and Barrier-Free”. This plan aims to resolve the difficulties encountered by the elders, the disabled and other special groups when using the internet and other intelligent technologies. In the first phase, 115 websites and 43 apps will be prioritized for elderly-oriented and barrier-free adaptation.
Since then, elderly-oriented development has become a major topic in the domestic Internet sector.
Context of the elderly-oriented reform
According to the 47th China Statistical Report on Internet Development released by CNNIC, netizens over 60 years old accounted for 11.2% of the total number of netizens in December 2020. With a rapidly ageing population, this percentage is expected to increase over the years.
While many applications and websites help people live smarter lives, the elderly often find it hard to understand because of the complex interfaces and operating procedures. They are also more vulnerable to advertisements and scams. Therefore, there is an urgent need to create a simpler and safer Internet environment for the elderly.
The current state
Before the implementation of the national policy, some enterprises have already developed products targeting the elderly market. Now, more companies are responding to the call to tailor their digital products for the elderly.
In the telecommunications sector, people aged 65 and above now have access to services tailored to their needs. They can call the customer service of China’s three major telecom operators directly, without going through complicated voice prompts and digital selections. Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO and other mobile phones brands have all developed “the elderly mode”, providing an interface with larger font, louder volume and “remote assistance”. OPPO’s “remote guard” function allows the caretaker to check the elderly’s location, steps and mobile phone battery. This function can even set a safe zone and alert the caretaker’s phone when the elderly leave that area. Moreover, when the elderly receive fraudulent phone calls, encounter payment risks or mobile phone viruses, their caretaker can also receive safety alerts. This allows for early intervention, preventing the elderly from being scammed.
Software companies are also playing their part. Alipay, Taobao, Jingdong and Himalaya audio software have similarly launched an elderly mode. With a click of a button, elderly users can enjoy a simpler version of the existing interface. Other apps such as Baidu, Pinduoduo and Tik Tok provide an independent mobile app for the elders. WeChat and QQ chose to adjust and add specific functions to meet the elderly’s needs.
Online platforms associated with the public sector have also modified their services for the elderly. This is increasingly prevalent in the healthcare sector. In the Zhejiang Province, seniors can open the “Zheliban” app to book an appointment with a doctor. A “care mode” interface will appear with larger fonts and buttons as well as simpler functions. They can choose the “telephone appointment” function, and the customer service will help them book an appointment over the call. Another option is to use the “voice assistant” button, which allows senior users to mention the hospital, department or other information and the app will enter the relevant sites.
Outcomes of the elderly-oriented reform
Based on the current measures, we observe two types of elderly-oriented adaptation. The first type makes the original app more user-friendly for the elderly, while the second type develops an entirely independent app targeting seniors.
While the adaptations take different forms, both solutions include large fonts and louder volumes. The interface and operating process are also simplified. Some software reorganizes the content according to the elderly’s needs and preferences.
For instance, recognizing that most elderly enjoy fiction, crosstalk and storytelling, video and audio platforms like Baidu feature these segments in prominent areas. Himalaya, a popular audio platform in China, has a particular segment named “science in childcare” to teach the elderly parenting knowledge. This is because most seniors take care of their grandchildren in China.
Most of the internet giants carry out the elderly-oriented adaptation in areas such as recreation, childcare, self-improvement and healthcare. Apart from fulfilling their corporate social responsibility, these elderly-oriented improvements also help companies capture new market shares.
However, not all initiatives aimed at the elderly are successful. Some software adjustments remain superficial. After adjusting the font and volume and reducing the app functions, the user experience became far worse than it was before.
Some enterprises treat the elderly-oriented adaptation as an opportunity to reap the elderly and gain profit. For example, Baidu exploits the greedy psychology of the elderly to boost user stay time and open frequency by placing games like Baidu orchard at the top of the home page. These games require sign-ins, which allow Baidu to access the elderly’s personal information. UC Browser’s news and videos also include advertisements like hair implants, tooth implants and removing under-eye puffiness targeting the elderly.
On 7 April 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released the “Elderly-oriented Design General Specifications for Internet Sites” and the “Elderly-oriented Design General Specifications for Mobile Internet Applications (APPs)”, which stipulate that advertising content and plugins are forbidden. However, companies are reluctant to give up this considerable market gain. As the advertisements of Tik Tok are directly included in the video content, and algorithms recommend videos specifically for the elderly mode, the policy of no advertisements for the elderly remains unrealistic.
Market acceptance
The elderly population prefers the original version over other versions of mobile apps. According to the “China Silver Economy Insight Report in 2021” released by MobTech, none of the top 20 market penetration apps for the elderly is specially designed for the elderly.
Do older people need independent elderly-oriented software?
According to Xia Bingying, Google’s human-computer interaction (HCI) designer, setting up an independent elderly-oriented version is not the ideal solution. True equality and respect can only be realized if the elderly can use the same digital products as young people.
To begin with, most seniors are unable to locate the elderly-oriented modes on their own. On the other hand, maintaining separate elderly-oriented apps is expensive due to the rapid updating and iteration of digital products. This can be a significant strain for businesses.
However, proponents of independent elderly-oriented software argue that incorporating an elderly-oriented mode in the original software is also problematic. Once the elderly mistakenly switches to the original mode, it will be difficult for them to switch back.
This happened to the ride-hailing company Didi. In 2020, the company decided to integrate the independent app “Didi for the Elders” into the normal version so users can switch quickly with the “care mode” button. However, many older people complain that it is difficult to find the button in the “normal mode”. Moreover, the “care mode” is oversimplified with a limited number of commonly used addresses. This is a problem because the elders usually operate the app utilizing the commonly used address function. They do not know how to locate a place without the address being saved.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released an official document on 7 April, listing more detailed requirements for elderly-oriented apps or interfaces. Specifications include appropriate fonts, line spacings, verification methods, operation timing and information security. For example, if the software is embedded with an elderly-oriented interface, the home page should occupy a prominent space to support the mode switching. Another way would be through obvious prompts of mode switching upon opening the app.
Without lucrative advertising revenue, developers seem reluctant to invest and improve elderly-oriented products. However, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology requires all revisions to be completed by 30 September this year. The company’s elderly-oriented products will be evaluated, and the evaluation result will be published on 31 October in the Enterprise Credit Evaluation report. To the Chinese government, adapting to the needs of the aged is critical, and therefore it should be done without hesitation.
Young people strongly support the elderly-oriented reform
In contrast to the poor response from the elderly market, the elderly-oriented products sparked a heated discussion among young people. Relevant topics are often read millions of times on major websites.
With every mobile software aiming to become the all-encompassing “super app”, app functions and interfaces are becoming increasingly complex and hard to navigate. Young people feel that the elderly-oriented version makes everything easier. The interface is neat, the operation is simple, and no advertisement exists. This, they believe, is what apps should be. Many netizens reveal that they can never return to the original mode once they start using the elderly-oriented version.
However, companies driven by ad revenues refuse to allow young people to access the elderly mode. More apps for the elderly increasingly require Real-name authentication. Those who do not meet the required age will be promptly rejected. Although companies claim that this is to safeguard the rights and interests of elderly users, their true motivation lies in profit-making.
According to the seventh national census from the National Bureau of Statistics, more than 260 million people in China are aged 60 or above, accounting for 18.7% of the country’s total population. The elderly-oriented reform is not something that will happen overnight as a result of the ageing trend. The government and private companies must work hand in hand to adapt to a changing demographic.
