The concreteness of searching module icons and their effectiveness in digital library applications

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between the concreteness of searching module icons and their effectiveness in Iranian digital library applications.Design/methodology/approachThis study was a correlational survey whose participants consisted of two groups, namely, users and experts. The former consisted of 174 users, all of whom were included because of their scarcity, and the latter included ten experts of knowledge and information science. First, the effective and non-effective icons were identified by users. Then, their concreteness was investigated by the expert participants.FindingsThe results of the study showed a significant relationship between the concreteness of icons and their effectiveness, meaning that the more concrete, the more effective the icon was, and vice versa. Furthermore, it was shown that the effective icons were representational and semi-abstract, whereas non-effective ones were very abstract.Practical implicationsThe designers, especially digital library practitioners, should use icons that distinguish themselves as effective icons, and avoid using non-effective ones. It is suggested that they apply representational icons more.Social implicationsThe designers of mobile interfaces and public environments, such as social networks, transportation systems and so forth, can use icons in their user interfaces that are more effective when they are perceived with more concreteness.Originality/valueThe investigation of the relation between the concreteness of icons and their effectiveness may help determine effective and non-effective icons. It can also be of help to designers to satisfy user needs and improve their site’s performance through using effective icons.