Ease of icon processing can predict icon appeal

Abstract

Correlations between subjective ratings of interface usability and appeal have been frequently reported. This study examined the possibility that the relationship between usability and appeal are underpinned by implicit perceptions of ease of processing which act as a heuristic in making judgments of appeal. Ease of processing was manipulated by varying the amount of experience participants gained with icons in a search task prior to judging appeal, as well as varying the familiarity and visual complexity of the icons presented. These manipulations systematically affected response times in the search task (an objective measure of usability). The effects observed in appeal judgments followed thesame pattern as for search times, demonstrating that ease of processing predicts judgments of appeal. This suggests that our understanding of interface appeal needs to be predicated on an appreciation of the factors affecting the ease with which information on an interface is processed. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.