A study on the impact of full eco-smart home on the cognitive load and perceptual needs of elderly users

In the context of the digital era, the factors influencing the cognitive load of the full ecological smart home on the elderly are mostly interconnected. Most existing studies have conducted single correlation analyses, ignoring the fact that cognitive load is the result among multiple interactions of multiple factors. Furthermore, the color, material and Finishing of the product design can also impact on the user’s perceptual needs. Therefore, exploring the grouping dynamics of cognitive load and users’ perceptual needs for color (C), material (M), and Finishing (F) of smart products can provide insights for inclusive design of smart homes. The article analyzes the asymmetric multiple concurrent causal effects of full ecological smart homes on the cognitive load of the elderly from a histological perspective using fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) based on the four elements of Innovation Diffusion Theory. At the same time, principal component analysis and quantitative theory I class method are used to explore the quantitative relationship between color, material, Finishing and users’ perceptual imagery of the product. The results of the study showed that there were no necessary conditions leading to high or low cognitive load in the fsQCA analysis, indicating that the problem was the result of the interaction of multiple conditions, and the final analysis yielded three histological pathways leading to low cognitive load and one pathway leading to high load in older adults. Moreover, the study identifies the combination of colors, materials, and finishes that best represent user preferences. This study establishes a dialogue between theory, results, and cases in analyzing of the group dynamics of the impact of full ecological smart homes on the cognitive load of the elderly. It provides a theoretical basis for the development of digital inclusion enhancement strategies.