Data-driven personas creation based on the CHARLS database: analyzing the interaction design of mobility aid for the Chinese elderly with difficulty in indoor transferring

China is transitioning into a moderate aging society and a significant portion of the elderly population faces difficulties in indoor transferring. This study was conducted in December 2022 with the aim of constructing personas for a specific population. This was achieved by filtering target data from the latest current data in the CHARLS database and performing hierarchical cluster analysis on 12 variables across 119 samples. The results showed that the elderly individuals with indoor transferring difficulties can be divided into 7 clusters, which were then refined to form 7 data-driven personas. The cluster characteristics were used to determine the design direction for mobility aid, including functional features and corresponding interactive solutions for the physical needs of the elderly individuals with indoor transferring difficulties.