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Why Fat Interface Characters Are Better e-Health Advisors

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Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVA 2006)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 4133))

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Abstract

In an experimental setting, we investigated whether body shape similarity between user and interface character affected involvement with, distance towards, as well as intentions to use the character in an e-health context. Users interacted with an interface character with the same (similar) or with a different (dissimilar) body shape as their own. Furthermore, the character’s body shape was negatively valenced (heavier than ideal) or positively valenced (same as ideal). In contrast to what one might expect from stereotype research, users perceived non-ideal (fatter) characters as more credible and trustworthy than ideal (slim) characters. Especially users similar in body shape to a non-ideal character felt the least distant towards fatter characters. These users also preferred to use relatively fat characters over slim characters. Considering the increasing amount of overweight people in society, it seems most effective to design interface characters with bodies fatter than in current e-health applications, which often feature slim characters.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam

    H. C. van Vugt, E. A. Konijn, J. F. Hoorn & J. Veldhuis

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  1. H. C. van Vugt
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  2. E. A. Konijn
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  3. J. F. Hoorn
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  4. J. Veldhuis
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, 13274 Fiji Way, 90292, Marina Del Rey, CA, USA

    Jonathan Gratch

  2. Music Department, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, SE14 6NW, London, UK

    Michael Young

  3. School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot Watt University, EH14 4AS, Edinburgh, Scotland

    Ruth Aylett

  4. BT plc, Adastral Park, IP5 3RE, Ipswich, UK

    Daniel Ballin

  5. School of Computing Science, Culture Lab, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Patrick Olivier

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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van Vugt, H.C., Konijn, E.A., Hoorn, J.F., Veldhuis, J. (2006). Why Fat Interface Characters Are Better e-Health Advisors. In: Gratch, J., Young, M., Aylett, R., Ballin, D., Olivier, P. (eds) Intelligent Virtual Agents. IVA 2006. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 4133. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/11821830_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/11821830_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-37593-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-37594-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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