Understanding Information-Seeking Behavior Through Visual Cues: UX/UI Design Perspectives for Social Media Interfaces

Abstract

When browsing information-rich environments such as SNS, users intuitively select content and assess information value based on visual impressions. Visual cues, including icons and text on image-centric user interfaces, attract users' attention and serve as signifiers that indicate the value and nature of underlying information, supporting information selection during browsing. This research focuses on visual cues within SNS to clarify the information selection process of users navigating image-centric interfaces and to identify the visual cues that facilitate this process. Specifically, we examined the information selection process by investigating the relationship between user-information engagement types and visual cues. The results showed that users follow a two-stage information selection process: initial screening based on visual characteristics, followed by content interpretation. Three engagement types were identified: “behavioral engagement,” “passive engagement,” and “emotional engagement.” Content that relied only on image information was unstable for interpretation, as it depended entirely on individual sensibilities. We then conducted a verification experiment using prototypes with text labels and icons to compare their effects. The results indicated that visual cues function differently depending on the engagement type. In passive engagement, text labels tended to promote selection behavior by conveying meaning and context, providing a sense of information. In contrast, for active and affective engagement, the visual appeal of content rejection was more influential than text or icons. Therefore, to support information selection, optimizing visual cues according to the user's engagement type, rather than applying uniform cues to all content, can help prevent information oversight and encourage serendipitous information encounters.

Keywords: SNS, Seeking Behavior, Visual Cues

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007743