Can Different "Eye" Designs for Anthropomorphic Manga Characters Inform Users of Different Functions of Anthropomorphized Systems?

Abstract

We investigated whether anthropomorphic manga characters (AMCs) with eyes having different designs can inform users of the identity of the different functions of smartphones that are anthropomorphized as AMCs. Specifically, we prepared three different AMCs that 3 different artists drew, and each artist drew 32 different eye designs. In addition, we selected the four smartphone functions that the different AMC eye designs should express. As a result, although the different designs failed in informing users of the four different functions, users' requirements for smartphones or general characteristics of smartphones were clearly expressed by the different eye designs.