The popularization of smartphones and the impact of the universal design trend on the optimization of social services have driven the development trend of using shopping apps for the elderly. The physiological and psychological characteristics of elderly users are firstly examined, and the theoretical definition of user experience theory is summarized, i.e. the user experience of the elderly is examined in three aspects: interaction experience, emotional experience and use value. This is followed by a user experience study of the elderly using questionnaires and in-depth interviews, and the user portrait and user experience map are constructed. The design strategies of improving interface understandability, providing humanized design and strengthening the optimization of brand design are put forward. The research results will help to improve the theoretical construction of user experience for the elderly and improve the corresponding application design optimization.