The Effects of Gestalt Principles on the Perceived Usability of User Interface in a Web Context

게쉬탈트 원리가 사용자 인터페이스의 지각된 사용가능성에 미치는 영향에 대한 탐색적 연구

The user interface (UI) is the part of the systems that users can see, hear and feel. That means, a user can interact with the systems through the user interface. Effective user interfaces create positive feelings of success and competence. In addition, they enable users to concentrate on their work, exploration, or pleasure. The German word "Gestalt" means "whole" as well as a figure or a shape. A comprehensive information systems (IS) literature review found that there has been little empirical evidence on the Gestalt principles in UIs that affect online users' perceived usability in a Web context. Therefore, the goals of this study are to 1) examine the relationships between Gestalt principles in UIs and online users' perceived usability in a Web context and 2) come up with design guidelines to enhance user success. Using a survey, this study explored the relationships between Gestalt principles used in six Web sites and 17 aspects of usability. The results showed that in terms of 16 aspects of usability, there are significant differences among the UIs that have different levels of Gestalt principles. In practice, online stores may use these findings to improve their Web pages. Specifically, the sixteen usability attributes can be used to check whether online stores' Web pages meet customers' user interface quality expectations.