The Impact of Visually Simple Product Interface Design on Perceived Innovative Capability and Willingness to Pay

ABSTRACT Consumers interact with products through product interfaces, which comprise physical and visual elements such as buttons, displays, labels, and control panels. Although product interface design plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer experience and satisfaction, little work has been done to examine whether and how visually simple product interface design affects consumers' willingness to pay. Across three experimental studies, we demonstrate that visually simple product interfaces lead to higher willingness to pay than comparable complex product interfaces, and that this influence is mediated by perceived innovative capability. Notably, the effect of visual simplicity is attenuated when the design is perceived as a follower strategy. By demonstrating that visually simple interface design conveys meaningful signals about a company's innovative capability, this research advances understanding of how consumers infer company capability from product interface design and translate such inferences into willingness to pay.