Anthropomorphic User Interface Feedback in a Sewing Context and Affordances

Abstract: The aim of the authors' research is to gain better insights into the effectiveness and user satisfaction of anthropomorphism at the user interface. Therefore, this paper presents a between users experiment and the results in the context of anthropomorphism at the user interface and the giving of instruction for learning sewing stitches. Two experimental conditions were used, where the information for learning sewing stitches was the same. However the manner of presentation was varied. Therefore one condition was anthropomorphic and the other was non-anthropomorphic. Also the work is closely linked with Hartson's theory of affordances applied to user interfaces. The results suggest that facilitation of the affordances in an anthropomorphic user interface lead to statistically significant results in terms of effectiveness and user satisfaction in the sewing context. Further some violation of the affordances leads to an interface being less usable in terms of effectiveness and user satisfaction.