Measuring the Success of Visual Communication in User Interfaces
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/stc/tc/1998/00000045/00000004/art00008
  access restricted (by the publisher) to members/subscribers/customers only
  peer-reviewed

Rosenbaum, Stephanie L. and J.O. 'Joe' Bugental
Technical Communication Online
1998

Abstract:

This article discusses three key areas of visual communication we address in user interfaces (UIs): conventional—emphasis on imitating generic forms that meet readers' expectations; icon recognition; visual appeal or 'look-and-feel'. The article uses five case histories to demonstrate how usability research has helped the authors evaluate the quality of visual communication in navigation, icon recognition, and look-and-feel. It describes some of the research methodology the authors use, with examples from the case histories. For each of the three topic areas, we discuss the lessons we learned from the case histories about both usability testing methodology and visual communication guidelines. We mention, but do not concentrate on, related topics such as visual clutter.