Consideration of people’s design preferences for the development of adaptive user interfaces

Abstract Adaptive user interfaces enable the display of user-specific, relevant information in complex interactive systems. The user experience on platforms can be improved by taking the user’s needs (goals, system experience, etc.) and design preferences (in terms of design shapes) into account. In a Germany-wide online survey, n = 1,044 young people (pupils and university students) aged between 14 and 35 were asked about their design shape preferences. The results show that, overall, the shape of the circle appears to be the most attractive for young people (14–35 years) and that gender and age have the greatest influence on design shape preferences. While men and generally older people (19–35 years, university students) prefer basic shapes to more complex shapes, women and generally younger people (14–19 years, pupils) find complex shapes more attractive than basic ones. The identification of preferences with regard to design shapes can provide developers of interactive systems with information for the design of (adaptive) user interfaces.