پیچیدگی بصری

Philosophical inquiry into art and beauty within the Western tradition can be traced back to ancient Greece. However, the concept of aesthetic experience gained prominence in the eighteenth century (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, entry on aesthetic experience, January 20, 2023). According to the Macmillan Dictionary, the term "aesthetics" was coined in Germany during this period and did not achieve acceptance in the English language until the nineteenth century (Macmillan Dictionary). Furthermore, as noted by Boo et al. (2018), the term is derived from the Latin phrase "aisthitiki," which translates to "perception through sensation." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aesthetics as "pleasing appearance." The fundamental meaning of beauty is encapsulated in the notion of "maintaining unity amidst diversity" (Moshagen & Tilsch, 2010, as cited in Venture, 1876).While beauty is a widely discussed concept in the field of art, it assumes a different significance within human-computer interaction, where it is referred to as "computational aesthetics." In 1994, Jakob Nielsen proposed a set of teninfluential factors designed to enhance user interaction systems. Among these factors is the principle of "aesthetic and minimalist design," which highlights the importance of reducing clutter in user interfaces. Understanding the dimensions of aesthetics can assist web designers in creating improved user interfaces. The current research aims to identify, rank, and propose a conceptual framework for the aesthetic components of digital images on the web. The rapid expansion of web-based technologies has led to an increasing volume of data and information production. Concurrently, the understanding of aesthetics—previously discussed in non-web or offline contexts—has now emerged in online environments utilizing digital tools. Moreover, cognitive sciences have gained particular significance in contemporary research priorities. According to Wong and Borman (2014), websites must not only be usable but also visually appealing. Despite extensive research conducted in usability, psychological aspects related to aesthetics within web environments have received considerably less attention (Wong & Borman, 2014). This study aims to address this gap by focusing on identifying the characteristics of images in web environments from an aesthetic perspective.

Methods and Materials:

The present research was conducted using a meta-synthesis method. Documents were retrieved from six databases: IRANDOC, ISC, SID, Google Scholar, Emerald, and Web of Science, utilizing a targeted keyword search and systematic approach that included 1,278 documents. Out of these, 54 documents were selected for inclusion in the study following the PRISMA approach. The importance coefficient of the identified codes was calculated using Shannon's qualitative content analysis method. EndNote software was employed for careful document storage and review. Initially, a foundational conceptual framework comprising 22 aesthetic characteristics for web images was developed based on insights from scholars and established sources. Subsequently, through meta-analysis, this framework was expanded to include 32 aesthetic codes applicable to images in web environments.

The basic conceptual framework was developed based on aesthetic theories from Kant, Berlyne, Leibniz, Adorno, Birkhoff, and Husserl, incorporating insights from 15 English-language documents that contained two categories, four concepts, and 22 aesthetic codes. Through meta-synthesis, this framework was enhanced to include two categories, four concepts, and 32 codes. In order of priority, the codes "symmetry or proportion" and "lack of complexity" exhibited the highest Shannon importance coefficient within the category of objective aesthetics and classical aesthetic concepts. Additionally, the codes "appealing color combination" and "moderate complexity—not too low and not too high (similar to Berlyne's theory of stimulus complexity)" were identified as having significant relevance within subjective aesthetics and classical notions of beauty. The category of subjective aesthetics pertains to users' perceptions as subjects interpreting images within web environments; conversely, objective aesthetics relates to the design of uploaded images themselves as objects within this interaction. Classical aesthetic concepts address elements that are independent of meaning and appearance; in contrast, semantic aesthetics focuses on aspects related to meaning and associations rather than mere appearances.

It is essential to consider both subjective and objective aesthetic codes equally. This research underscores the importance of scientific collaboration between experts in computer science and humanities to enhance understanding of aesthetics and improve human-computer interactions. The proposed conceptual framework represents a pioneering effort at both national (Iran) and international levels. It is recommended that developers of the Python library "Athec" utilize this conceptual framework to more accurately define the aesthetic characteristics of digital images within web environments by incorporating a broader range of aesthetic codes into their library programming.

The user experience is at a higher level than the user interface. Nielsen's checklist recommended in 1994, consists of ten factors, one of which is aesthetics, but the dimensions of beauty in the web environment, after thirty years, remain unknown and have not been accurately interpreted. The present study was designed in order to reduce the mentioned ambiguity. The current research aims to identify the aesthetic components of "one website" based on Leibniz's theory and rank them based on the importance of the criteria. Proposing a conceptual framework for the ''aesthetics of one website'', is done.

In this study, the systematic review method of meta-synthesis with Shannon's qualitative content analysis approach was used. A targeting keyword search was conducted in six databases: Google Scholar, Emerald, Web of Science, IRANDOC, ISC, and SID. The numbers of 1110 sources were retrieved. Then, the numbers of 64 documents were selected for meta synthesis study, according to the PRISMA statement. Leibniz's theory of aesthetics and two studies, aesthetic factors from Lavie and Tractinsky (2004) and website analysis from Guo and Hall (2009) used as the basis of qualitative coding. Then, for each aesthetic code identified, the importance coefficient was calculated based on Shannon's qualitative content analysis method introduced by Azar (2000). The mentioned method looks at each code in the sources as an exchanged message, and the resources are the interviewees or experts who answered the research question.

The number of 2 categories 4 concepts and 75 aesthetic codes were obtained by performing meta synthesis. Two general levels of "objective aesthetics" and "subjective aesthetics" were obtained as the main categories of website beauty. The subjective level is related to the user and his perception (subject) and the objective level is related to the website design (object). Two main concepts were obtained for each category including "semantic aesthetics" and "classical aesthetics". The coefficient of importance for the codes of "typography" and "order" in the concept of classical aesthetics and the category of objective aesthetics were ranked first and second. In the category of subjective aesthetics, based on priority, the codes of "having an attractive color combination", "easy navigation" and "moderate visual complexity " in the concept of classical aesthetics, were obtained at the top of importance. The numbers of forty-three aesthetic codes for a website were identified with an importance coefficient greater than zero. A conceptual framework based on Leibniz, proposing for ''aesthetics of one website''. A number of 43 codes with an importance coefficient greater than zero were identified, which were ranked from 1 to 16. The other 32 codes (out of a total of 75 identified codes) that had a zero Shannon entropy significance coefficient (the number of 1 repetition in previous studies) were placed in the 17th rank of Shannon's significance. The top 12 codes, in order of priority, were "observance of typography techniques in website content design", "orderliness and cleanliness of website content", "observance of symmetry in website content design", "non-visual complexity", "attractive website color combination" From the point of view of the web user's mind", "Unity in website content design", "Easy navigation in website content from the standpoint of the web user's mind", "Observance of the organization through order and sequence and compliance with hierarchy during website design", "Complexity in Average limit (not too little and not too much) from the website user'sstandpoint", "Arousing the feeling of richness and variety from the website user's standpoint", "Website design with the approach of having a variety website content ", "Attractive and interesting And the non-boringness of the website from the standpoint of the web user". Adherence to the Gestalt principle, and adherence to the golden ratio in website design, are among the other identified codes.

It is appropriate for website administrators to pay attention to both the objective and subjective aspects of aesthetics to promote users. Several types of research have been conducted on the aesthetic factors of a website. But research such as the current one, which combines previous studies with a meta-synthesis approach and coding by Shannon’s entropy, is the first in Iran and also at the international level. In this field, interdisciplinary cooperation in the fields of computer sciences and social sciences is recommended.