Criteria for the Creation of Aesthetic Images for Human-Computer Interfaces A Survey for Computer Scientists

Interaction in modern human-computer interfaces is most intuitively initiated in an image-based way. Often images are the key components of an interface. However, too frequently, interfaces are still designed by computer scientists with no explicit education in the aesthetic design of interfaces and images. This article develops a well-defined system of criteria for the aesthetic design of images, motivated by principles of visual information processing by the human brain and by considerations of the visual arts. This theoretic disquisition establishes a framework for the evaluation of images in terms of aesthetics and it serves as a guideline for interface designers by giving them a collection of criteria at hand; how to deal with images in terms of aesthetics for the purpose of developing better user interfaces. The proposed criteria are exemplified by an analysis of the images of the web interfaces of four well known museums.