Research on Typography to Integrate Transparency and Reflectivity in Interface Design

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1 Research on Typography to Integrate Transparency and Reflectivity in Interface Design Bong-Keum Jeong * Mon-Chu Chen ** * Hongik University & Busan Design Center Seoul, Republic of Korea, blueisis@empal.com ** University of Madeira, Carnegie Mellon Portugal Funchal, Portugal, monchu@andrew.cmu.edu Abstract: This research argues that transparency and reflectivity should be integrated and harmonized in applying and utilizing fonts in interface design. The traditional belief that the fonts need to be readable and legible in order to overcome the limited display environment of small screen is not sufficient anymore. Jan Tschichold [6], the most influential typographer and visual designer, has defined the object of transparency as clarity. Assuring that the font is easy to read should guarantee the success of typography in small screens such as in mobile devices. However, this research found out that the trend of moving from simply and clear fonts toward more emotional and expressive ones. As a result, we should also consider that typography design as a reflective interface that provides users entertaining experience. This paper took two different approaches in terms of design methods. On the one hand, basic study was done to create and define fundamental principles, rules and new design paradigm. On the other hand, applied study tested the evolution of design method focusing on the technology innovation and the user experience. Basically, this research explores how the interactive products work proactively on the users identity creation by having a different view from the traditional HCI. We suggest, to have more entertaining design, the interface-as-mirror strategy should be supported. Key words: Interface design, Typography, Transparency and Reflectivity. 1. Introduction If the painters of Renaissance era applied linear perspective to gain transparency, GUI tries to gain transparency on computers which is based on screens [1]. Designers and HCI professionals still assume that the best interface is Obvious, Simple and Natural. All these are nothing but the variations of the themes on the invisible computers [7]. All these are the variations of subjects that made computers disappear from our sights. There are two perspectives on interface design. One is the practical perspective by Donald Norman [4] as well as other HCI professionals. Interface design to them is application of information only. The other perspective is of interaction designers. These two are competing against each other in a sense that each has influence in the culture [7]. This research found clear distinction between these two perspectives of interface design. As 621

2 Sigel [9] believed that design calls out the user experience, and that web pages are visual experience, typography in today s interface design becomes the core element in the communication experience. The object of this research is to propose an interface design that could give more entertainment to mobile users. As Korean characters by nature are combination of images and words, this research explores the direction for experimental Korean font design. The result of this research leads to typography design strategy and prototype design that predicts the needs of users in mobile interface. This research focuses mainly on the preference of typography among five elements of interface design. 2. Basic Research on the Research Model 2.1 Theory of Consumer Response on Design The success of a product is possible when consumers prefer it [3], and consumer preference is influenced mostly by the design [1]. The framework of Bloch s consumer response model makes it possible to define the relationship between preference and design, and image and design by analogy. It also shows that personal preference and situational factors interact to work as the intervening variable of the final preference. This research aims to find the causal relationship between the preference of typography, font and font design in GUI to see visually the relationship between the user and the device in a limited display environment of mobile, and to discover new strategy of interface design through user research. 2.2 Windows and Mirrors in Interface Design We, as producers, must acquire the technologies to let the users see the digital media clearly. However, we need to let them see the media reflectively as well. We need these two views in producing digital products. Reflection in Korean has the meaning of rethinking about something by seeing it from a different perspective as reflected on a mirror. Examining an interface by seeing it as a window (transparency) and as a mirror (reflectivity) helps us to evaluate the situation more clearly. 3. Empirical Study 3.1 Research Objective and Content The objective of this research is to build a prototype design and system design strategy by evaluating user needs in mobile interface design. The prior research [9] has defined color system, shape, layout, text and graphic/icon as five elements of mobile interface design. Among the five elements of interface design, our research focused on typography preference. Since the survey was not for the professionals, the word typography was replaced by font to make it easier for the normal users to understand the survey. The ultimate goal of the research was to find a justifiable reason to develop a more experimental font design rather than to approach font as playing games between images and words. The font usage of six mobile device producers in Korea was compared in this research. They are LG CYON, SAMSUNG Anycall, KTF, MOTOROLA, CASIO, and SKY. The survey on consumer preference of leading computer fonts and mobile fonts showed the prefered font types and trend, and the result revealed the users tastes. The results could be applied to the basis of emotional satisfaction and cause analysis for future design concepts. The fonts, which the users can select in the mobile interface as they prefer, were divided into four groups. Group 1 consists of the default fonts that the users interact first after purchase. Group 2 includes the loaded 622

3 fonts that come with the phone. Seven to ten fonts were pre-loaded in each phone by various makers. These pre-loaded fonts are available to users when they prefer to alter the default font in their devices. Group 3 includes fonts that are available for downloading to their phones. Group 4 consists of favorite fonts that are available in PC computers. Preference Test Between Font Group [Group 1] Default Font [Group 2] Loaded Font [Group 3] Downloaded Font [Group 4] Favorite PC Font Preference Comparison Test Between User Group 1. Premier 2. General Users 3. Trendsetter Figure.1 Research Content Group 3.2 Research Method and Process We have considered several ways to develop font design strategy that could provide entertaining experience to the users. We also planned the most appropriate research method to justify proposed design strategy. The survey participants were mobile users in Seoul. The age of subjects was between 15 and 29 spreading out evenly in each age bracket. Characteristics Profile Key Buying Factor (KBF) Premier Uses the most expensive phones Uses for business Has the longest call time 20~29 Male Self-employed, white collar Functions, brand Battery, additional functions Trendsetter Sensitive to trend Values function, design and brand Adopts innovation 15~24 Students Design, functions Additional Functions, Basic Functions Replacement Period 21.5 months 22.2 months Usage Business Entertainment Personal Calls Entertainment/Information Calls(per day)/sms(per week)/mms(per week) 15/33/1.8 12/31/1.8 Figure.2 The Characteristics of the Subjects The users were divided into three groups at first. The premiers were the group of users with expensive phones. They used their phones mainly for business and they had longer call time. The general users were the group of users who have attempted to change the fonts in their mobile devices. The trendsetters were the group of users who are very sensitive to the trend. Design and brand are important to them, and they are conscious of new features of mobile devices. 623

4 The subjects were further consolidated into the premiers and the trendsetters. The general users were included with the premiers. Therefore, there were two groups: group 1 (the premiers + general users) and group 2 (the trendsetters). It was hypothesized that these two groups preferred different fonts. 2 Group (Premier + Trendsetter) Premier 23 users Group 1 General User 48 users Group 2 Trendsetter 111 users 71 users Total 182 users Figure.3 Grouping the Subjects There were 182 subjects responded to this survey. was properly made. Pilot study and pre-test were conducted to see if the survey Figure.4 Research Process The process for the user research was as following. An interface expert, a visual art designer and a typographer divided the users according to their characteristics based on heuristic evaluation, and analyzed the interface environment. A pilot test followed with five subjects to find out about preferences and trend of fonts among normal users. A survey was designed based on this test. A pre-test of this survey was done to 10 people to check its validity. After correcting a few minor errors on it, the survey was done with the whole 182 subjects. 3.3 Result and Analysis Previous research on esthetics of fonts found out that female group preferred cute style in fonts and male group preferred default fonts with visual clarity. However, our results showed preference of reflective interface in their need for pursuing transparency. It allowed us to know that the needs of users had changed. Based on this result, we applied the font design that integrates and harmonizes transparency and reflectivity in designing the interface. The research of typography trend and emotional preference of users could be applied in building the mobile typography strategy as a result. When professional designers analyzed default fonts of phones by six manufactures, and found that they were all san-serif. While san-serif is considered masculine and serif as feminine, Samsung s default font could be characterized as more feminine by utilizing Longer type to its default san-serif font. The most preferred default font was Samsung s, and the second preferred was LG s. This ranking matches mobile brand awareness as well as sales ranks, showing that they are closely related. 624

5 Figure.5 Default fonts by various phone manufactures Figure.6 Preference of default fonts The preference of default font was in the following order: Anycall 27.9%, CYON 25.7%, CASIOI 21.8%, MOTOROLA 11.7%, SKY 8.4%, KTF 4.5%. 625

6 Figure.7 Pre-loaded fonts in mobile phones It is interesting to see that LG s Malgum (Clear) and Choco-Cookie, which have extremely different characteristics, share the top rank in loaded font category. Also, the top seven fonts, Rosemary, Hand Writing, Baby Crab, Kwangsoo and Balggurak(toe), are all cute hand written type, except for LG s Malgum. This result shows that the users prefer more feminine and cute fonts over more masculine default fonts. 626

7 Figure.8 Preference of loaded fonts The preference of loaded fonts was in the following order: Choco-Cookie of Anycall and Malgum(Clear) of CYON 11.2%, Rosemary of Anycall 7.9%., Gothic and Hand Writing of Anycall 6.7%, Baby Crab of CanU 6.7%, Kwangsoo of SKY 6.5%, Balggurak (toe) of CYON, 5.6%. Figure.9 Mobile download fonts 627

8 Choco-Cookie tops the mobile download font rank as well. Sea, Ungttung-I, and Neat Head, are all cute hand written type. The others following in the rank, Cute Pparo, My Figure.10 Preference of mobile download fonts The preference of mobile download fonts was in the following order: Guiyumdoongi Pparo (Beloved Pparo) 12.9%, Choco-Cookie 10.1%, My Ocean 7.3% of Anycall, Ungttung-I of CYON 6.7%,. Neat Head 6.2% Figure.11 Preference of PC favorite fonts The preference of PC favorite fonts was in the following order: Yoon Gothic 30%, Spring Day 14.7%, Heart Tree 10.6%, Cool Jazz 10.0%. It was found that the users were influenced by the name of fonts in the research on PC favorite fonts. 628

9 Figure.12 Distribution of font preferences The preference map was drawn to show how the users preferences are distributed. Overall, it shows higher preference for more emotional and modified types. It supports our argument that the theory about readability and legibility in typography is not sufficient anymore. The distribution of users preferences shows the changes in their needs. The users preferred basic and rational types of fonts by demanding simple and clear font design for small screens in prior research, but in our research, the users show higher preference on more emotional, calligraphy-like fonts. 3.4 Collective Result Analysis It was important to see if it is possible to have normal users associate with the functions that designers and professional groups have expected. Nielson and Norman s belief, that the object of all design is to make the interface transparent, was challenged in this research. Bolter and Gromala s theory about all digital products vibrates going back and forth between clarity and reflectivity was meaningful in that the subjects of this research chose various fonts according to their mood or environment. The research result verified that the belief of typography having to be easy to ready in limited display environment of small screen devices should be expanded and evolved to suit the taste of users. According to the typographer Jan Tschichold s definition, the goal of transparency in typography was clarity and simplicity. However, when considering the harmony of transparency and reflectivity in today s mobile media, it is strongly recommended that the users tastes must be considered. Up until now, the guarantee of success in typography for small screen devices has been assuring that it is easy to read, and from now on, the design concept should aim for providing entertaining experience to the users by verifying their tastes. 629

10 4. Conclusions It has been verified that the belief of typography having to be easy to ready in limited display environment of small screen devices should be expanded and evolved to suit the taste of users. According to the typographer Jan Tschichold s definition, the goal of transparency in typography was clarity and simplicity. However, we believe that, even in the small screen mobile devices, transparency and reflectivity must be integrated, and that users tastes must be taken into consideration. Up until now, the guarantee of success in typography for small screen devices has been assuring that it is easy to read. However, this research has found that the users actually selected less easy to read fonts, and that the font design concept should consider their taste to give more entertaining experience to them. In this evolving media environment, we need to let the users see the media in the reflective perspective as well as the media as it is. We were able to apply the font design that integrates and harmonizes transparency and reflectivity in designing the mobile interface. As a result, the survey of font trend and the survey of emotional preference of users could be applied directly to build the mobile typography strategy. Donald Norman, who has led in providing theoretical foundations to usability and rational design, now studies the importance of design esthetics and said that the best design is a design that realizes all levels of instinct, action and reflection [5]. The interface design of computer products may be an evolving organism. 5. Citations [1] Bloch, H. Peter(1995) Seeking the ideal form: Product design and consumer response, Journal of Marketing; Jul, p.16 [2] Bong-keum Jeong, Yeon-Seong Song (2004) The Study of Usability Evaluation in the GUI of Mobile Computing, Journal of Korean Society of Design Science Vol, 16 No. 4 [3] Chuang, Ming C. Chang and Shang H. Hsu (2001) Perceptual factors underlying user preferences toward product form of mobile phones, International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, Vol(27), p.248 [4] Donald A Norman. (1998) The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press [5] Donald A Norman. (2005) Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday things, Basic Books, New York [6] Jan Tschichold, Ruari Mclean, Robin Kinross (1995) The New Typography, University of California Press. [7] Jay David Bolter, Diane Gromala (2003) Windows and Mirrors: interaction design, digital art, and the myth of transparency, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, Massachusetts [8] Jong-deok Kim, Bong-keum Jeong (2004) The Study of Usability Evaluation Method for the Mobile Internet GUI, Journal of Korean Society of Design Science, Vol. 16 No.1 [9] Sigel, David. (1997) Creating Killer Web Sites, 2 nd ed. Indianapolis: Hayden Books. 630