Icon Design on Small Screens: Effects of Miniaturization on Speed and Accuracy in Visual Search

Abstract

The current study experimentally investigated benefits and limitations of miniaturized information design in small screen devices. Three crucial factors assumed to interact were examined: the size of icons and of displays and the density of information (set size). Using icons from real cell phones, 20 subjects were required to search for a specific icon within a set presented on a limited screen area. All three factors were systematically varied and explored by means of visual search efficiency (reaction times and error rates). Information access was found to be significantly affected by all factors. Interaction effects showed that search efficiency was considerably higher with increasing icon size and both decreasing display size and set size. Based on the results, recommendations for an optimized interface design for small screen devices are derived which are useful to meet a sensitive cut-off between all three factors under study.