Aesthetic Evaluation of Computer Icons: Visual Pattern Differences Between Art-Trained and Lay Raters of Icons

Adopting eye-tracking measures, we explored the influence of art experience on the aesthetic evaluation of computer icons. Participants were 27 college students with art training and 27 laypersons. Both groups rated icons of varying complexity and symmetry for "beauty" while we recorded participants' eye movements. Results showed that art-trained participants viewed the icons with more eye fixations and had shorter scanning paths than participants in the non-art group, suggesting that art-trained participants processed the icons more deliberately. In addition, we observed an interaction effect between art experience and symmetry. For asymmetrical icons, art-trained participants' ratings tended to be higher than those of lay persons; for symmetric icons, there was no such rater difference. The different visual patterns associated with aesthetic evaluations by these two participant groups suggest that art experience plays a pivotal role in the aesthetic appreciation of icons and has important implications for icon design strategy.