Integrating Aesthetic and Usability Factors in the Design of Mobile Phones

Abstract

Modern society has come to rely on mobile phones, devices of great functional value and aesthetic importance. Interactive Genetic Algorithms (IGAs) have previously been used to allow individuals to design mobile phones based on aesthetic preference. Here, a multi-objective ergonomic “teammate”, in the form of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is added to the IGA. GAs and IGAs mimic evolution by iteratively refining a design by having users select designs they find most aesthetically pleasing (IGAs), or using a physical ergonomics model to select ergonomic designs (GAs), and using the selections to create a new generation of designs in a manner similar to natural selection. The web-based experiment had 32 participants, varying button spacing, screen size, and radius of phones over 10 trials (5 with an IGA alone, 5 with an IGA and a GA). The presence of a GA significantly improved the physical ergonomic rating of the final designs, but did not negatively impact the rated aesthetics. IGAs combined with GAs show promise as a tool for designers.