PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Daniel Brandon Stotts
MA-Research
May 1998

The Usefulness of Icons on the Computer Interface: Effect of Graphical Abstraction
and Functional Representation on Experienced and Novice Users

    Icons have become a main component of interface design.  Novices and experts differ in their abilities and skills.  This study examined functional representation and graphical abstraction using experienced and novice computer users.  Current interface (e.g. word processing) icons were evaluated in a search and select paradigm.  Experienced subjects were faster and more accurate than the novice subjects.  Functionally representative and graphically concrete icons were recognized faster and more accurately than functionally arbitrary and graphically abstract icons, respectively.  Experienced subjects were affected more by graphical abstraction than novice subjects.  Graphically concrete and functionally representative icons were recognized faster than any other type of icon in the study.  These data suggest when creating icons, the icons should be made to look as much like the object of reference as possible.

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