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Abstract
The number of smartphone users has increased significantly, and the development of mobile applications has brought convenience to daily life. However, large numbers of users who have various barriers, such as visual or hearing impairments, and physical disorders, are not able to fully access and use the referred applications, which is unfair to them, especially when considering its use by students in a university campus where all users should be able to enjoy equal opportunities and experiences. The main goal of this study is to assess accessibility in mobile applications of the education sector. Thus, an evaluation model is also proposed to assess the accessibility of the applications from two perspectives, which are the inherent properties of the applications and the user experience of different disability categories. 46 official mobile applications were tested which related to 23 universities and institutes of Portugal, using automatic and manual testing methods. Several frequently occurring accessibility issues in the apps were identified and summarized, such as color contrast, touch target, missing focus. The results of the accessibility testing showed that the status of web accessibility of mobile applications in the higher education sector in Portugal is unsatisfactory. Most apps have multiple accessibility issues, and they are extremely unfriendly to the users with visual impairments. In addition, the study also proposed a series of accessibility recommendations for mobile application designers and developers, with the purpose of improving the accessibility of apps and providing an equitable user experience for all users. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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This paper presents a scoping review of the literature on user-centred usability evaluation of Embodied Communication Agents (ECAs) embedded in digital solutions to support older adults. Twenty-nine studies were included in this scoping review. The included studies reported the implementation of digital solutions to promote: (i) secure and supportive environment; (ii) healthcare provision; (iii) healthy lifestyles; and (iv) social involvement and active participation. In terms of usability evaluation, it was not possible to identify a common understanding on the methods and instruments being used since there is high heterogeneity in terms of experimental design. Moreover, some methodological flaws were identified when analysing the experimental design of the included studies. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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This paper presents a systematic mapping review of the literature on innovative digital solutions to detect cognitive impairment of community-dwelling older adults. Seventy-six articles were included in this mapping review. Most of the included articles (i.e., 65 articles) reported the implementation and validation of computerized versions of paper-based neuropsychological tests. In turn, 11 studies are related to the application of emerging technologies to detect cognitive decline, including serious games, virtual reality, and data analytics (e.g., algorithms to analyse data from ubiquitous daily activity and interaction sensing) approaches. From these 11 studies, four include experimental setups to determine if the developed digital solutions can discriminate cognitive impairments. Based on the mapping review findings is possible to conclude that further research is required to develop cognitive screening approaches alternative to computerized versions of paper-based neuropsychological tests.

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During the last decades, local, regional, and national governments promoted the development of smart cities, aiming the integration of traditional urban infrastructures and information technologies to provide high quality and sustainable urban services. Smart cities' implementations may change the way the individuals experience the urban spaces. Looking specifically to older adults, smart cities' applications have the potential of promoting their autonomy, independence, safety, well-being, social participation, and inclusion. This paper presents a survey of the scientific literature aiming to analyse current evidence related to smart cities' applications to support older adults and to identify issues for future research.

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