Quantitative Evaluation of Visual Aesthetics of Human-Machine Interaction Interface Layout

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Design Science
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Current human-machine interaction interface layout research primarily focuses on ergonomics, neglecting aesthetic evaluation.
• A quantitative approach to assessing the aesthetic degree of interface design is lacking.
• Kansei engineering offers a framework for understanding subjective aesthetic responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an objective aesthetic degree evaluation method for interface design based on Kansei engineering.
• To establish a quantifiable system for measuring the aesthetic appeal of interface layouts.
• To provide designers with a tool for optimizing interface aesthetics.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of perceptual image structure and aesthetic cognition of interface design.
• Extraction of six key aesthetic image factors (proportion, conciseness, order, rhythm, density, equilibrium) using factor analysis.
• Construction of a calculation system for aesthetic degree using these factors and their weights.
• Application of the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for scheme comparison and comprehensive evaluation.

Main Results:

• A novel method for objectively evaluating the aesthetic degree of interface layouts was successfully developed.
• The method identified and weighted six significant aesthetic factors influencing user perception.
• The TOPSIS method effectively ranked design schemes based on their aesthetic superiority.
• Validation through an example of a driller's console interface demonstrated the method's utility in design optimization.

Conclusions:

• The proposed Kansei engineering-based method provides a feasible and effective approach to quantifying interface aesthetics.
• This quantitative evaluation aids designers in making objective decisions for interface layout optimization.
• The method offers a significant improvement over traditional subjective evaluation techniques like paired comparison.