Examining the Influence of Front-Facing Camera Layout on the Aesthetic Experience of Smartphone User Interfaces

The primary research objective of this paper is to explore the direct impact of the front-facing camera layout on users’ aesthetic experiences, specifically investigating how different layouts of the front-facing camera influence the aesthetic experience of the user interface (UI) on smartphones. The ultimate goal is to provide practical design recommendations for future smartphones and potential support for mobile application developers. To achieve this objective, we recruited 120 volunteers from a university and evaluated interfaces with different layouts of the front-facing camera across four experimental groups (1. Left-aligned pill-shaped screen, 2. Centered notch screen, 3. Centered pinhole screen, 4. Centered triple-hole screen), conducting a comprehensive assessment for each experimental group. After the experiments, the results were analyzed using a mixed-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the total scores of various indicators were comprehensively calculated. Each indicator underwent meticulous categorization for detailed comparative analysis. The evaluation covered ten dimensions, including creativity, attractiveness, aesthetics, complexity, symmetry, and others, to assess the impact of different front-facing camera layouts on user aesthetics. The research findings indicate that different front-facing camera layouts significantly influence users’ aesthetic experiences. Specifically, a centrally positioned layout on the smartphone interface is most preferred by users, and the size of the layout also significantly affects user evaluations. The practical significance of this study is twofold. Firstly, it provides valuable guidance for the design of future smartphones. Designers can take note of these research findings and apply them to their creative endeavors. Secondly, the study can assist mobile application developers in creating interfaces that are both user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, thereby improving user satisfaction by understanding how different layouts impact user experience. In summary, this study contributes to an enhanced understanding of user experience with mobile devices, offering valuable insights to enhance the design of smartphones and mobile applications.