Towards incorporating personality into the design of an interface: a method for facilitating users’ interaction with the display

A novel user interface (UI) design based on the personality characteristics of users was proposed and examined in a mobile learning context. It was argued that differences in personality can stimulate individuals’ information processing capabilities in according to their display preferences, thus an effective visual experience. The personality characteristics and design preferences of 87 students (37 male, and 50 female) were collected and analysed. The clustering result (using k-means algorithm) revealed two potential personality types, which we call the neuroticism and the extra-conscientiousness groups. Then, an interface was designed for each personality group using the association rules method. An eye-tracking device was used to record changes in participants’ eye-pupil diameter and fixation duration, and thus examine their cognitive load and attention. The participants’ eye movement data of each group showed that their visual experience was significantly improved when using the interface designed based on their personality characteristics. This work offers some important design and practical insights to the human–computer interaction and the design of mobile device UI.