Does a Sketchy Appearance Influence Drawing Behavior?
Abstract
In this paper we examine the role of visual aesthetics in how people interact
with computers. Specifically, we are interested in whether simply adopting a
sketch-like visual appearance in a drawing application encourages users to
interact with the application more freely or rapidly than they would if they
were using the standard, precise, rectilinear appearance that most drawing
applications now supply. We carried out two user studies. In the first
study, we asked members of the University of Maryland Art History
department to draw a series of diagrams using two different line styles. In
the second experiment, we used the World Wide Web to collect drawing
diagrams from a much broader set of participants. Both studies reveal that
subjects draw more quickly using the sketch-like ('wavy') line style than the
straight line style. (Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-98-74)