Zhang Nuowen, Zhang Jing, Jiang Shangsong, Ge Weijia
College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 Sep 14;24(18):5966. doi: 10.3390/s24185966.
This study investigated the effect of layout order on the complexity of the dashboard interface based on screen-based eye trackers. By simplifying and abstracting dashboard interfaces and incorporating subjective ratings (symmetry and unity calculations), we successfully manipulated the levels of complexity and layout order of the interface materials. Using four types of eye movement data (total fixation count, total gaze duration, scanning paths, and hotspot maps) and behavioral data, we compared participants' visual search behavior on interfaces with different layout orders and complexity levels. Experiment 1 revealed a significant interaction between layout order and interface complexity, with participants performing significantly better in the high-level layout order condition. Experiment 2 confirmed that the position of the core chart plays a crucial role in users' visual search behavior and that the optimal layout order for the dashboard is to place the core chart on the left side of the interface's horizontal axis, with partial symmetry in the no-core chart areas. This study highlights the effectiveness of eye-tracking techniques in user interface design research and provides valuable insights into optimizing dashboard interface design. Designers should adopt the design principle of "order is more" in addition to "less is more" and consider designing the core chart in the left-center position.
本研究基于屏幕眼动仪，调查了布局顺序对仪表盘界面复杂度的影响。通过简化和抽象仪表盘界面，并纳入主观评分（对称性和整体性计算），我们成功地操控了界面材料的复杂度水平和布局顺序。使用四种眼动数据类型（总注视次数、总注视持续时间、扫描路径和热点图）以及行为数据，我们比较了参与者在具有不同布局顺序和复杂度水平的界面上的视觉搜索行为。实验1揭示了布局顺序与界面复杂度之间存在显著交互作用，参与者在高级布局顺序条件下表现明显更好。实验2证实，核心图表的位置在用户视觉搜索行为中起着关键作用，并且仪表盘的最佳布局顺序是将核心图表置于界面横轴左侧，在无核心图表区域具有部分对称性。本研究突出了眼动追踪技术在用户界面设计研究中的有效性，并为优化仪表盘界面设计提供了有价值的见解。设计师除了采用“少即是多”的设计原则外，还应采用“秩序更重要”的设计原则，并考虑将核心图表设计在左中位置。
