The effect of icon color gradient features on users’ visual search efficiency

This study explored the influence of different colour gradients and colour area icons on user visual efficiency through a visual search task experiment with 35 participants involved. The results showed that the colour gradient slope and colour area of the icon significantly affected the visual search efficiency. Icons with high colour gradient slope had the highest search accuracy and shortest search time, whereas icons with low- and medium-slope differed only in search time. Icons with different colour areas affected the participants' search accuracy, and the accuracy rate of the graphic area was higher than that of the background area. In addition, the effect of the colour gradient slope on the search time was significant when the colour gradient was in the graphic area.Practitioner Summary: icons with a higher colour gradient slope and a coloured graphic area performed better in the visual search. These findings can provide clues for icon design.