Effect of Emoji Motion and Visual Complexity on Emotional Perception in Mobile Chatting Context

This study investigated how motion and visual complexity of emojis in online mobile chat platforms influence emotional perception. A 2×2 within-subjects completely randomized block design experiment measured the effects of motion (present or absent) and visual complexity (high or low) on emotional perception. Results revealed that highly complex emojis enhanced both emotional perception accuracy and intensity, while motion effects only increased emotional intensity. Moreover, emojis with motion were perceived as conveying the senders emotional actions rather than just emotional expressions. These findings emphasize the importance of combining visual complexity and motion effects when designing emojis for effective emotional communication.