The Influence of Pictogram Shape on Information Readout Speed in a User Interface

The paper presents the authors’ methodology for an experimental study of the influence of the graphic design of pictograms applied in user interface control elements on the speed of operator interaction with the system. The aim of the research is to identify the dependence of visual information readout speed on the shape of pictograms in a user interface. The objective of the work is to experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of various geometric shapes of pictograms using oculography methods. The experiment is conducted in the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory of Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University using a specialized software and hardware eye-tracking complex applying statistical data analysis methods to process the research results. The experiment involved 37 subjects. The novelty of the work lies in systematizing factors influencing the perception of graphic elements and developing recommendations for optimizing an interface design. The results show that factors such as shape, background, colour, and menu composition affect the information readout speed. The obtained results are advisable to be used in developing effective user interfaces for ergatic systems.