Geç yetişkinlerin sosyal medya araçlarını kullanımı: Facebook mobil uygulaması özelinde Türk kullanıcıların deneyimlerine dair bir araştırma
Social media tools user experienced among late adults: A research on Turkish users' experience in Facebook mobile application
Yazar: ŞENER SOYSAL
Danışman: DR. ÖĞR. ÜYESİ DENİZ LEBLEBİCİ BAŞAR
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü / Endüstri Ürünleri Tasarımı Ana Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2019
Konu: Endüstri Ürünleri Tasarımı = Industrial Design

Özet:
İnternet teknolojisinin gelişmesi ve mobil cihazların hayatımıza dahil olmasıyla sosyal medya uygulamaları da yoğun biçimde kullanılır hale gelmiştir. Genç yetişkinler için tasarlanan bu uygulamalar, günümüzde daha yaşlı kullanıcıların da aktif olduğu mecralara dönüşmektedir. Özellikle Facebook uygulaması, geç yetişkinlerin mobil cihazlar aracılığıyla en çok kullandığı sosyal medya uygulamasıdır ve yeni bir sosyal hayat sahibi olmalarını sağlamaktadır. Araştırmada Türkiye'de yaşayan ve Facebook mobil uygulaması kullanan geç yetişkinlerin kullanım deneyimleri ve yaşadıkları problemlerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bununla beraber kullanıcı deneyimi bağlamında karşılaşılan problemlere arayüz tasarımı müdahaleleri ile çözüm getirilip getirilemeyeceği de araştırılmıştır. Tez çalışmasının amaçları doğrultusunda önce literatür araştırması yapılmış, tez konusunun ana noktaları olan sosyal medya, geç yetişkinler, kullanılabilirlik ve kullanıcı deneyimi kavramları tasarım araştırmaları perspektifinden incelenmiştir. Devamında online anket, odak grup çalışması, yüz yüze görüşmelerden oluşan kullanıcı deneyimi çalışmaları yapılmıştır. Yapılan çalışmalardan elde edilen bulgular analiz edilmiş ve çıkan sonuçlar sonuçlar, teknoloji ile etkileşimde yaşlılığın getirdiği zorluklara dair literatür göz önünde bulundurularak bilişsel, motivasyonel ve fiziksel bağlam olarak kategorize edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak; bu çalışma doğrultusunda geç yetişkinlerin Facebook kullanımının özellikle yakınları ile iletişim kurmak ve ilgi alanlarına dair bilgi edinmek konusunda büyük katkı sağladığı; ancak bazı konularda da ciddi problemler yaşadıkları görülmektedir. Yaşlanmanın getirdiği bilişsel performanstaki azalma, geç yetişkin kullanıcıların Facebook kullanımında karşısına çıkan karmaşık görevleri yerine getirmede zorluk yaşamaktadır. Yeterli becerinin sağlanamaması, içeriklere karşı güvensizlik, negatif içeriklere karşı korunmasız hissetme kullanıcıların motivasyonel bağlamda problemlerindendir. Yaşlanmanın getirdiği eklem kısıtları, el/göz koordinasyonundaki sıkıntılar, görme ve işitme kısıtları nedeniyle oluşan fiziksel zorluklar, problemin en az yaşandığı alandır. Bu problem alanları göz önünde bulundurularak ara yüz tasarımında düzenlemeler yapmak mümkündür.

Abstract:
With the development of internet technology and the inclusion of mobile devices in our lives, social media applications have become widely used. These applications, which are designed for young adults, are transformed into channels where older users are now active. Those who are isolated from society due to their age can communicate with their friends and family through social networks, acquire hobbies and resolve their problems. In addition, online experiences reinforce self-efficacy perceptions. Especially, Facebook is the social media application that the late adults use the most through mobile devices. This medium, which enables them to have a new social life, comes with them many problems. In this research, we aim to investigate the user experience and daily problems of late adults.  However, another objective is to investigate whether problems can be solved by interface design interventions in the context of user experience. For these reason, literature research and user experience studies were conducted for the thesis.
In the literature research, social media, late adults, usability and user experience concepts, which are the main points of the thesis subject, were examined from the perspective of design research. The development of the Internet and social media, information about Facebook as a social media application and services offered to users were researched. In addition, statistics on the use of the internet and Facebook applications are dealt with in Turkey and the world scale. Aging and conducted research on the technology concepts and late adulthood age groups have been identified, including the scale of Turkey. Cognitive boundaries, lack of motivation and physical difficulties experienced during the interaction of elderly people with technology are examined in detail. The concept of usability was investigated in terms of both the methods needed for measurement and the mobile applications. Observation, survey, focus group, face to face interview, thinking aloud protocol methods have been examined. PACMAD, a usability model prepared on mobile applications, is also included. A literature review has been conducted on the user experience which is considered to include usability. The literature on the user experience design process is examined. 
 
In the light of the literature review, user experience studies including online survey, focus group work and face to face interviews were conducted. The survey was carried out with people who witnessed or assisted the use of Facebook by late adults, because it was stated as an effective and preferred method to help the upper age groups to be included in social media applications. 194 people participated in the survey. The participants were prepared in a way to respond to the relevant late adults by considering their experiences. 24 questions were asked to the participants. Of these, 23 were multiple-choice, one question was open-ended and asked to describe an experience with the relevant late adult.
Based on the data obtained from the survey results, a focus group study was conducted in order to obtain detailed information about the experiences of late adults using the Facebook application. The focus group study was conducted with a group of nine people. People of different age, education and demographic characteristics using the Facebook mobile application were preferred. In the focus group study, participants discussed the process of getting acquainted with Facebook and their membership process, the services they used, the effects of Facebook usage on their lives and the experiences they experienced during their use. 
In the use of Facebook application, it is aimed to analyze the problems encountered in participatory survey and focus group study by face to face interview. Specific information about the situations experienced by late adults, possible problems, and the processes they experienced have emerged. The question headings of face-to-face interviews with 15 people. Interviews were conducted in a semi-structured way to obtain more detailed results. The question headings are in parallel with the focus group. Other questions were asked according to the answers during the speech. In order to make the participants feel comfortable, the interviews lasted between 15-25 minutes. Participants showed their problems from time to time on their mobile phones. During the interviews, the topics discussed in the light of the data of the focus group work such as problems in accessing the contents, feeling about the security of the information, difficulties in using the interface, adding/removing friends, disturbances about sharing and privacy issues were examined.
Audio recordings, moderator notes and survey data were used to analyze the studies. Voice recordings were deciphered and comments and shared experiences were categorized and classified. The findings of the user experience studies were analyzed. The results were evaluated in two different ways. These were categorized as cognitive, motivational and physical context by considering the literature on the difficulties of aging in interaction with technology. In addition, the findings were examined by considering seven characteristics of the PACMAD model in the literature. Finally, the relationship between the research and the user experience design process is also included.
As a result, the study showed that the use of Facebook by late adults made great contributions to communicate with relatives and to get information about their interests; however, they also experience serious problems in some participants. The decrease in cognitive performance of aging is having difficulty in performing complex tasks that late adult users face in Facebook use. Apart from the lack of adequate skills, there is insecurity against the content in the application, unprotected feeling against negative content and motivation of the users. Aging constraints caused by aging, difficulties in hand / eye coordination, physical difficulties due to visual and hearing constraints are the least experienced problem. This is a problem with the small icon and font characters in the interface. It is possible to make arrangements in the interface design by considering these three contexts. The tasks found within the application can be transformed into simpler tasks. For this, flow designs can be made shorter. Especially the privacy settings section can become leaner. Information notes can be added to the screens for each problem. Secondary confirmation screens can be added for possible errors to reach a wide audience. Information is facilitated with informations and and helpful content. Also the user's sense of trust can be increased. Icon and font heights can be designed considering the physical abilities of late adults. These suggestions are considered as a version for late adults only, considering that Facebook has members from many different age groups. The visualizations of the recommendations mentioned in this study are also included.
Future studies may focus on one of the contexts included in this study in detail. Also the entire user experience design process is workable. Prototypes prepared with detailed user experience analysis and tests can be tested, developed and turned into a product. This study can also help with other practices used by late adults.