This study examines how kiosk screen strategies (black-and-white vs. color) influence digital stress and kiosk usage intention among older consumers in the context of accelerating digital transformation. Digital stress is conceptualized not as a single negative emotional response but as comprising two dimensions: complexity-related burden experienced during the service process and anxiety related to service outcomes. Study 1, employing a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, confirms that the interaction between screen strategy and service type (bank vs. food court) significantly affects older consumers’ digital stress. Study 2 extends the analysis by incorporating kiosk usage intention and finds that the effects of screen strategies vary across service contexts, with digital stress playing a critical role in explaining the relationship between screen strategy and kiosk usage intention. Specifically, in high-risk service contexts such as banking, outcome-related anxiety exerts a stronger influence on kiosk usage intention, whereas in low-risk contexts such as food courts, complexity-related burden during the service process plays a more substantial role. By conceptualizing older consumers’ digital service experiences as a multidimensional structure that varies across service contexts, this study underscores the importance of designing kiosk interface strategies tailored to specific service environments.