# Designing aesthetically authentic, restorative, and socially interactive environments for retirement homes: impacts on senior consumers’ relocation intention

## TL;DR

This study explores how design elements like aesthetics, restorative features, and social interaction influence older adults' willingness to move into retirement homes in China.

## Contribution

The study introduces a framework linking design factors to relocation intentions through psychological and contextual moderators.

## Key findings

- Aesthetic authenticity influences relocation intention indirectly through attitudinal beliefs.
- Restorative and social interaction designs only significantly affect relocation intention when facilitative conditions are high.
- Findings highlight the interplay between intrinsic design qualities and external support in seniors' relocation decisions.

## Abstract

Drawing on the ecological model of aging and the technology acceptance model, this study investigates how three design factors—aesthetic authenticity, restorative design, and social interaction design—shape senior consumers’ relocation intentions in urban China.

Survey data were collected from 331 seniors. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the direct effects, and PROCESS Macro Model 1 was employed to test the moderating effect.

Our analysis reveals a nuanced decision-making process. While all the above three factors positively influence attitudinal beliefs, their paths to shaping relocation intention differ. Aesthetic authenticity has a significant indirect effect through attitudinal beliefs, suggesting it is an intrinsic motivator. In contrast, the indirect effects of restorative and social interaction design are only significant when facilitating conditions (e.g., financial and social support) are high.

These findings contribute to gerontechnology and environmental design literature by demonstrating how foundational psychological needs and value-added features are weighed differently in seniors’ relocation decisions. We also provide practical implications for stakeholders on designing and marketing retirement communities within China’s evolving socio-cultural landscape.