Visual Accessibility in a Virtual Kitchen: Effects of Open Shelving on Performance, Cognitive Load, and Experience in Older Adults with and without MCI
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866910165595324416 |
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| author | Bilau, Ibrahim Yang, Eunhwa Kwon, Hyeokhyen Smith, Stacie Walker, Bruce Cai, Hui Erdogmus, Ece Ogunseiju, Omobolanle |
| author_facet | Bilau, Ibrahim Yang, Eunhwa Kwon, Hyeokhyen Smith, Stacie Walker, Bruce Cai, Hui Erdogmus, Ece Ogunseiju, Omobolanle |
| contents | This study examines how visual accessibility through cabinet design influences task performance, cognitive load, physical activity level, motivation, and user experience in a virtual kitchen among older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Seventeen older adults (7 with MCI, 10 without) completed a repeated-measures item retrieval task under two conditions, closed cabinets and open shelving, using a counterbalanced within-subjects design. Measures included task duration, physical activity level (ENMO), cognitive load (NASA-TLX and gaze entropy), intrinsic motivation (IMI), and post-task interviews. Open shelving significantly reduced task duration (beta = -291.20, p < .001) and physical activity level (beta = -0.00615, p = .008). Gaze entropy increased (beta = 1.29, p = .001), with a significant Setting x MCI interaction (p = .009) and moderation by MoCA score (p < .001). NASA-TLX and intrinsic motivation did not differ significantly between conditions. Qualitative findings indicated reduced reliance on memory-based search and highlighted themes related to independence, aesthetics, safety, and adoption. Overall, visual accessibility improved efficiency and reduced movement demands while altering visual-search organization, with divergence between subjective and objective indicators of cognitive load. These findings support visually accessible design strategies to enhance functional performance and inform cognitively supportive built environments for aging populations. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_23081 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Visual Accessibility in a Virtual Kitchen: Effects of Open Shelving on Performance, Cognitive Load, and Experience in Older Adults with and without MCI Bilau, Ibrahim Yang, Eunhwa Kwon, Hyeokhyen Smith, Stacie Walker, Bruce Cai, Hui Erdogmus, Ece Ogunseiju, Omobolanle Human-Computer Interaction H.5.2; J.3 This study examines how visual accessibility through cabinet design influences task performance, cognitive load, physical activity level, motivation, and user experience in a virtual kitchen among older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Seventeen older adults (7 with MCI, 10 without) completed a repeated-measures item retrieval task under two conditions, closed cabinets and open shelving, using a counterbalanced within-subjects design. Measures included task duration, physical activity level (ENMO), cognitive load (NASA-TLX and gaze entropy), intrinsic motivation (IMI), and post-task interviews. Open shelving significantly reduced task duration (beta = -291.20, p < .001) and physical activity level (beta = -0.00615, p = .008). Gaze entropy increased (beta = 1.29, p = .001), with a significant Setting x MCI interaction (p = .009) and moderation by MoCA score (p < .001). NASA-TLX and intrinsic motivation did not differ significantly between conditions. Qualitative findings indicated reduced reliance on memory-based search and highlighted themes related to independence, aesthetics, safety, and adoption. Overall, visual accessibility improved efficiency and reduced movement demands while altering visual-search organization, with divergence between subjective and objective indicators of cognitive load. These findings support visually accessible design strategies to enhance functional performance and inform cognitively supportive built environments for aging populations. |
| title | Visual Accessibility in a Virtual Kitchen: Effects of Open Shelving on Performance, Cognitive Load, and Experience in Older Adults with and without MCI |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction H.5.2; J.3 |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.23081 |