Determinants of Elderly Users’ Satisfaction and Engagement with Senior-Focused Puzzle Applications: Evidence from User-Generated Content

Purpose: This study investigates the drivers of elderly users’ satisfaction and engagement with a senior-focused puzzle application using large-scale marketplace reviews to examine post-adoption experience domains relevant to age-related needs. Methodology: English language reviews of Vita Jigsaw for Seniors were collected from the Google Play Store (53,800 reviews). After screening, 36,853 reviews were retained, and deep cleaning produced 17,216 analysis-ready reviews. A mixed-methods design combined sentiment analysis and LDA topic modelling to derive experience dimensions and map them to eight theory-grounded constructs. Three experts validated the keyword to construct the mapping. Confirmatory testing used PLS regression with a Random Forest robustness check. Findings: PLS results showed that system quality, information quality, service quality, accessibility, perceived enjoyment, and flow experience were positively and significantly associated with satisfaction across polarity and subjectivity specifications (R² = 0.952 and 0.793, respectively). Satisfaction was positively and significantly associated with engagement, although explained variance was modest (R² = 0.080 and 0.078). Random Forest importance rankings highlighted accessibility and system quality as the most influential predictors of satisfaction. Originality: The study contributes a validated, theory-grounded, review-based measurement approach that links senior app experience dimensions to satisfaction and engagement using longitudinal marketplace data. Practical implications: Designers should prioritize accessibility for seniors and reliable performance while supporting enjoyable, immersive gameplay to enhance satisfaction and engagement among older users. For policymakers and digital inclusion stakeholders, the results provide evidence-based criteria for evaluating and promoting senior-friendly apps to support older adults’ digital well-being.