A Comparison of Navigation Performances between Older and Young Adults in Hypermedia E-Mall Shopping

To facilitate equal access to online shopping for all users, the present study examined if agerelated differences in E-mall navigation exist as a function of web presentation media and web structure. 14 older adults and 14 college students participated in an experiment where E-mall shopping navigation was evaluated in terms of the number of pages repeated visited, and retention accuracy. Two experimental E-malls that built on a hierarchical and a referential topology respectively were developed. Each E-mall consisted of 15 pages of product information, which were evenly assigned to three types of presentation media, namely, pure text, static picture and animation. Results indicated that older adults were at disadvantage then their younger counterparts for both performance measures. Despite the navigation difficulty, the older participants nevertheless improved their orientation and retention when the website was displayed by a pictures-based medium on a hierarchical topology. Implications for the design of E-mall interfaces that accommodate age-related differences were discussed.