Meng Gao

Background: The social compensation hypothesis posits that computer-mediated communication can offset psychosocial vulnerabilities among users who face barriers to face-to-face interaction, thereby enhancing well-being. Yet, there is no validated instrument to assess which design features of digital systems enable such compensation. Objective: To develop and validate a Social Compensation Design Scale (SCDS) for urban older adults living alone, situated within smart-home social media as part of home-based, health-enabling environments. Methods: We conducted a three-phase study from an information systems design perspective: item generation and expert review via a Delphi process, followed by two questionnaire surveys. Valid responses were obtained from 340 and 357 urban older adults, respectively. Psychometric analyses (reliability and validity testing) were conducted across two independent samples. Results: The SCDS comprises four dimensions—User Interface Quality, Interaction Quality, Content Quality, and Service Quality—with 16 items overall. Across samples, the scale demonstrated strong internal consistency and construct validity. Conclusions: The SCDS offers a concise, user-centred measure for evaluating how smart-home social media design supports psychosocial well-being in older adults aging in place. The scale provides researchers and designers with a structured toolkit for assessing user experience in health-related home environments and for informing design decisions that promote acceptance and sustained use of digital health applications among older populations.