Visual element's effect on mobile application preference

Abstract

Mobile devices and related services are attracting the interest of both marketing academicians and professionals as well as entrepreneurs. Mobile applications (apps) that work on these devices are promoted as individual service products or as supplementary services. In this context, this study aims to reveal the effect of visual elements in mobile app choice using app icons, the primary visual elements affecting consumer choice. The icons provide the first impression and are considered as the most frequently seen visual elements of apps. The visual and cognitive elements; color, symmetry, complexity, concreteness, familiarity and meaningfulness dimensions are used as icon characteristics. By utilizing the PAD model developed by Mahrabian and Russell, the effect of icon characteristics on users' dispositions and on download intentions was tested. Moreover, the effect of visual icon attributes on perceived quality was tested using the data collected through an online survey study. The analysis was carried out using structural equation modelling. This study aims to enable mobile app developers in improving their designs by revealing the effect of various visual elements on consumers' mobile app download intentions and expected to pioneer further studies in Turkey.