Designing Combinations of Pictogram and Text Size for Icons: Effects of Text Size, Pictogram Size, and Familiarity on Older Adults’ Visual Search Performance

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to determine suitable combinations of text and pictogram sizes for older adults and investigated the visual prioritization of pictogram versus text. Background Icons have become an indispensable part of application (app) design. Pictogram size and text size of icons influence the usability of apps, especially by aged users. However, few studies have investigated the influences of different pictogram and text size combinations on readability, legibility, and visual search performance for older adults. Method This study used eye-tracking technology to investigate the effects of different pictogram and text size combinations as well as familiarity on readability, legibility, and visual search performance for older adults. A 3 (pictogram size) × 3 (text size) × 2 (familiarity) repeated-measures experimental design was used. Results The results of this study suggest that pictogram size and text size significantly affect visual search performance and that familiarity moderates the effect of text size on distribution of fixation duration proportion for text and pictograms. Conclusion Large pictogram and text sizes improved the readability and legibility of icons for older adults. Furthermore, the older adults fixated the area of text prior to pictograms when the pictogram size was larger than 72 × 72 px (1.38° × 1.38°) in the visual search task. Application The results of this study suggest using different combinations of pictogram and text sizes for older adults under different scenarios. The findings of this study act as practical support for designers and developers of mobile apps for older adults.

How Do Older Adults Process Icons in Visual Search Tasks? The Combined Effects of Icon Type and Cognitive Aging

“…This dominant effect of SIs on visual searching was also shown by Leung et al [10]. Additionally, text may help users to better understand the semantic meaning of the icons [22,39]. The combination of icon and text provided redundant information, making it easier for the users to establish substantive connections between new information This study showed that among the four types of icons, i.e., FI, SI, FI + text, and SI + text, all the older adults had the best visual search, processing, search response time, and search accuracy for SI + text, followed by FI + text and SIs, showing the poorest outcomes when searching for FIs.…”

“…Regarding the effect of icon types on the search behavior of older adults, several recent studies focused on icon characteristics, such as semantic distance, visual complexity, and familiarity, and how they influence the search performance of older adults [21][22][23][24]. Studies have revealed that icons with high visual complexity impair the search performance of older adults (longer reaction times and more errors) [24], whereas icons with closer semantic distance reduce these effects [21].…”

Effects of interface layout design on mobile learning efficiency: a comparison of interface layouts for mobile learning platform

“…Fixation duration refers to the process of maintaining a visual gaze toward a single location and indicates that a person is collecting information about that spot (Ponce and Mayer, 2014). Specifically, eye fixations are events in Mobile learning efficiency which the eyes remain relatively still, indicating an area that is of interest to the user or is difficult to understand as its elements are more noticeable or more important (Hou and Hu, 2021). Previous studies have suggested that the relationships between eye movement and mind-visual processing patterns reflect the cognitive strategies used by users and that cognitive load can be inferred from eye-movement data (e.g.…”

How to design font size for older adults: A systematic literature review with a mobile device

“…However, future studies should explore more font size options due to the constant increase in the size of mobile displays, which has been evident over the past decade. Research has been done on font size, line spacing and word spacing to determine suitable font sizes for better legibility, readability and reading speed (Epelboim et al, 1994 ; Rayner et al, 1998 ; Bernard et al, 2001 ; Alotaibi, 2007 ; Wang et al, 2009 ; Hou and Hu, 2022 ).…”