Human Aspects of Gerontechnology: Comprehensive Analysis of 2015–2023 ITAP Conference Papers

As the world’s population ages, designing technologies specifically tailored for older adults has become increasingly important. The International Conference on Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population (ITAP), which focuses on the human aspects of gerontechnology, has had a profound impact on the field. This study aims to outline the development and evolution of ITAP research, providing references and inspiration for researchers exploring or preparing to study this domain. A total of 771 ITAP conference papers were retrieved from SpringerLink. Citation analysis was conducted using the HistCite application, and visualizations were created with CiteSpace software. Through visual analysis of the authors, institutions, and keywords of ITAP conference papers over the past nine years, this study reveals the research trends and characteristics of human aspects of gerontechnology within the ITAP conferences. The findings indicate that virtual reality and augmented reality have been highly researched topics since 2020. The latest burst keywords include “smartphone” and “COVID-19”, highlighting some of the hottest topics over the last three years. Papers in ITAP are predominantly published by countries with ageing populations, representing over 85% of the total contributing countries. By summarizing ITAP in stages on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, this study aims to provide scholars interested in the conference with a detailed understanding of the conference and the development of human aspects of gerontechnology.