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Effects of Pictogram and Typeface Complexity on Visual Attention: Eye-Tracking Study
Klementina Možina1, Dorotea Kovačević2, Petra Buljat2,3
1Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Journal of Eye Movement Research
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Visual communication effectiveness depends on matching pictogram and typography complexity. Simple pictograms with serif fonts can improve reading speed, but context matters. Eye-tracking revealed processing differences missed by subjective ratings.
Area of Science:
- Visual communication
- Human-computer interaction
- Cognitive psychology
Background:
- Multimodal communication relies on the interplay between visual elements like pictograms and typography.
- Understanding how formal congruence influences visual processing and perceived appropriateness is crucial for effective design.
- Existing research lacks comprehensive analysis of pictogram-typeface complexity interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of pictogram complexity and typographic style (serif vs. sans-serif) on visual processing.
- To determine how these combinations affect perceived appropriateness in multimodal communication.
- To explore the role of thematic context in pictogram-typeface congruence.
Main Methods:
- Utilized eye-tracking (Tobii Pro Fusion) to record reading time, fixation count, and saccade count in 90 participants.
- Presented stimuli from three thematic categories: cobbler, herbal pharmacy, and gluten-free restaurant.
- Collected subjective evaluations of pictogram-typeface suitability alongside objective processing measures.
Main Results:
- Reading time emerged as the most sensitive indicator of formal congruence between pictograms and typefaces.
- Simple pictograms with sans-serif fonts increased reading time in some contexts (cobbler, gluten-free restaurant) but decreased it with serif fonts.
- Faster reading performance was observed with simple pictograms and sans-serif typography in the herbal pharmacy category.
- Subjective evaluations showed no significant differences in perceived appropriateness across combinations, despite measurable processing variations.
Conclusions:
- The effectiveness of pictogram-typeface combinations is contingent upon both formal complexity and the specific thematic context.
- Eye-tracking technology is invaluable for uncovering subtle cognitive processing differences that subjective judgments may overlook.
- Designers should consider the interplay of visual elements and context for optimized multimodal communication.
