Constructing a Multi-dimensional Social Compensation Design Scale for Older People Within the Framework of Social Media for Smart Homes

Managers and designers need to understand the subtleties of social compensation design so they can make social apps that meet the psychological needs of users and keep them using them. However, there is a significant gap in the research that has already been done on creating and validating a Social Compensation Design Scale (SCDS). This study aims to fill that gap by developing and testing the SCDS, specifically for older people living alone in cities. It will be used for smart home social media and looked at through the lens of information systems design. The study used the Delphi method and two rounds of surveys to get information from older people. SPSS 25.0 and Amos 28.0 were used to analyze the data. As part of the research process, the first scale was approved by experts and then put through strict reliability and validity tests. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) found four main factors, which were then improved by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). This led to a model with good fit metrics. The results show that the SCDS has four parts: quality of the user interface, quality of interactions, quality of the content, and quality of the service. These four parts are measured by 16 items. This study gives managers and designers a structured way to determine how much social compensation older users experience when using smart home social media. This will significantly assist in creating and improving social apps that improve older people's overall health and happiness.