How do app icon color and border shape influence visual search efficiency and user experience? Evidence from an eye-tracking study

Abstract Icon color and icon border shape are two key factors that affect search efficiency and user experience but have previously been studied separately. This study aimed to ascertain their separate and combined effects on smartphone interfaces. We conducted an experiment using eye tracking in addition to performance and experience measures to understand the effects of app icon color and border shape on visual efficiency and user experience. The results identified both features as essential attributes with interactive effects in the process of searching app icons on a smartphone interface. The study confirmed that varied colors across icons and a rounded square border shape helped to improve search efficiency, decrease cognitive effort, and lead to a more positive user experience. Relevance to industry Users of smartphones are often confronted with the problem of selecting a single app from a great number of apps. Visual design of app icons plays a key role in influencing visual search efficiency and user experience. The results of this study have implications for designing app icons on the interface of smartphones to improve search efficiency and elicit positive user experience.