Influence of the Mobile Device Screen Resolution on Aesthetics of Web Sites

The increasing importance of e-commerce represents a significant opportunity for businesses looking to expand. However, to increase their online presence and gain online market shares, companies face fierce competition. To achieve a competitive edge, companies must consider the aesthetics and visual complexity of their Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), as they strongly influence users’ behaviors. Our research focuses on the perceived aesthetics and visual complexity of mobile phones as smartphones are being more and more used for online economic activities. Furthermore, this study also investigates the influence of screen resolution on perceived aesthetics and complexity, as this element is one of the most distinguishing factors between desktops and mobile devices. Besides, few studies exist in the literature regarding this specific field of research. Overall, the objective of this thesis is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to fill the vacuum in the literature. On the other hand, it seeks to assess the relevance of Aalto Interface Metrics (AIM) regarding the evaluation of aesthetics and visual complexity of Mobile User Interfaces (MUIs) and to evaluate the influence of screen resolution by the mean of statistical models. We discovered that, whether considering resolution, measures related to both colour perception and perceptual fluency were significant to assess the visual complexity of MUIs, while only colour perception metrics should be considered when measuring perceived aesthetics. Finally, our study demonstrates that AIM metrics are particularly relevant to evaluating visual appeal and complexity of websites with a 375 x 667 resolution but are less appropriate for larger resolutions.