The goal of this research is to examine the effectiveness of the interactive genetic algorithm (IGA) procedure in evaluating and improving interface aesthetics. Though the procedure has been adopted by a few other researchers in investigating preference or in design scenarios, its ability to improve subject's preference has not been demonstrated quantitatively, particularly for the outcome measure of aesthetic appeal. Two experiments are presented that use identical IGA characteristics to help subjects choose a good design quickly from a large design space. The first experiment uses abstract imageries as stimuli, and the second uses Web page templates for a Web log. The statistical evaluation of the IGA illustrates that it is effective in both cases, showing an 8% increase in aesthetic appeal for abstract imagery and a 15% increase for the Web pages over the duration of the IGA procedure.

This article describes two experiments investigating the effects of manipulating two compositional elements—symmetry and the number of compositional building blocks—on subjective appraisals of interface aesthetics. The experiments use stimuli with identical composition but varying subject matter. The first experiment uses abstract black-and-white geometric images, whereas the second uses realistic-looking Web pages as stimuli. Both experiments have three levels for each of the two independent variables, with the dependent measure being subjective ratings of aesthetic appeal. Results from both experiments show that the number of compositional elements influences aesthetic appeal ratings. For the abstract imagery, symmetry also plays a role such that participants find the more symmetric images appealing. Implications of these findings on interface design are discussed.