Abstract
The semantic transparency of icons in mobile devices was investigated using 48 icons for 12 mobile phone functions. Icons included original ones as well as icons specifically designed for experimental purposes. In order to determine the impact of age, each 10 younger and 10 older adults were examined. Having been acquainted with a reference function, participants had to decide for each of four icons shown on a display as fast as possible whether they represented the respective function. Speed and accuracy of responses were used as dependent variables. Though older adults generally responded slower than younger ones, the very same effects of icon concreteness and complexity showed up in both age groups. Real phone icons did not yield a better performance indicating a suboptimal design. Overall, use of icons in mobile devices in principle can be recommended for users within a wide range of age, if icon design obeys ergonomic rules.
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Schröder, S., Ziefle, M. (2008). Effects of Icon Concreteness and Complexity on Semantic Transparency: Younger vs. Older Users. In: Miesenberger, K., Klaus, J., Zagler, W., Karshmer, A. (eds) Computers Helping People with Special Needs. ICCHP 2008. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5105. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70540-6_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70540-6_12
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