Etkileşimli Ortamlarda Görsel İletişimin İkna Üzerine Etkisi ve Bir Uygulama
Özet
Today, where the importance of visuality increases day by day, communication skills have also changed with the development of technologies and the diversification of environments, and humankind's way of seeing and perception has become more easily manipulated with technology. Mobile phones are the most commonly used digital technology to persuade society to a belief, situation or behavior. While mobile phones used to be a communication tool used only for talking, today they are used as a tool that makes people's lives easier in many areas, from shopping to banking transactions, from education to health, with mobile applications developed with the development of internet and smart phone use.
All visual elements used in mobile applications are elements of persuasion. In this research, the way the application persuades the target audience and conveys the message in mobile technologies, and the effects of visual communication elements on the accurate, understandable and aesthetic communication process are examined. The research aims to design visual elements that help create meaning and correctly perceive messages by emphasizing that it is possible to direct the attitudes and behaviors of the society and to persuade by managing their perceptions with the visual communication elements used in interactive user interfaces. It is thought that the methods and techniques used in visual designs intended to persuade the society, raise awareness and encourage sustainable behavior will be useful as a guide.
This thesis consists of four sections. In the first section, the concepts of interaction design and user experience are introduced and the place and importance of interactive designs, examples of which are frequently encountered today, in human life from the past to the present are discussed.
In the second section, the concept of persuasion, which is another main subject of the thesis and has been frequently used in communication processes since history, is included. The concept of persuasion, which has been actively used since Aristotle until today, has been transformed with the development of technology and its effect on human attitudes and behaviors has been increasing day by day with the use of different methods and techniques. For this reason, within the scope of this thesis, Cialdini's persuasion principles and Fogg's behavior model items, which are frequently used in the process of creating technologies that convince people to a correct behavior or attitude, have been examined.
In the third section, the impact of visual communication and graphic elements on the persuasion process was investigated, focusing on how the creation of visual designs can increase people's motivation and provide a persuasive environment leading to the desired behavior. To achieve this, Gestalt perception theories, which are among the key topics in the process of guiding psychology and perception through visual elements, were examined. The topic of conveying visual elements to people in a persuasive manner, in accordance with these theories, was addressed, and existing persuasive mobile technologies, which are currently used by people for various purposes, were analyzed through the lens of the persuasion theories discussed in the second section.
In the fourth section, a mobile application design was made as a persuasive technology proposal that motivates people to travel the world and encourages them to act with the help of user experience design process components. In the concept development process, Cialdini and Fogg's persuasion theories were followed, and in the visual design process, gestalt perception theories were followed, and care was taken to ensure that it was a technology that motivates, triggers and is usable and persuasive in a way that suits people's skills. Before starting the application work, the target audience was determined and needs and problems were determined. Personas from 3 different age groups were created to represent this target audience. After creating information architecture and flow chart using Figjam plugin of Figma software and designing usage scenarios, screen designs were first started by making sketches on paper. Figma software was used in the application work, which continued with wireframe studies. Adobe Illustrator program was used for the design of illustration and visual elements, Figma Software for prototyping, Adobe After Effects program for the promotional film, and Lottiefiles platform for the motion graphics used in the application. Finally, the prepared application prototype was tested on users via phone.
Based on the data obtained from the conducted research, the sustainability of the scenario created in the proposed application design, along with the continuous provision of new content to stimulate curiosity among users, has been achieved. Users are motivated through the gamification and competitive environment, while notifications and reminders serve to prompt them. Observations and feedback gathered from testing the application design on users who value healthy living have led to the conclusion that visual persuasion elements have a positive effect on raising awareness and convincing society. In an interactive product design, paying attention not only to the function but also to the appearance of the product positively affects its success. A well-designed user interface improves the user experience and contributes to the success of the product by increasing user satisfaction.
Visual communication elements (in digital product design, user interface designs), which have the power to influence the emotions and thoughts formed during a user's first interaction with a product, can affect people's decisions and direct them. Making a product visually appealing and desirable motivates users to engage with it. However, in a product that does not appeal to users or attract their interest, it is likely that the visual persuasion elements may not always be effective. Therefore, if a user does not have a purpose, intrinsic motivation, or intention to use a product, the created visual elements alone will not be sufficient to influence the user.
