Shape of progress bar effect on subjective evaluation, duration perception and physiological reaction

Time represented in space: Bar better than ring while waiting

The use of visual representations of time is common in both research and daily life, with progress icons, such as bars and rings, being popular examples. Despite some studies investigating the advantage of different shapes, there has been no consistent result from questionnaires. This study aims to investigate this topic by using an objective temporal reproduction task to compare the potential difference between short and long waiting times, as evidence indicates that the temporal machinery could be different within and beyond 2-3 s. The study also explores the role of the percentage of progress icons. Two groups of participants first experienced a short (3 s) or long (15 s) duration with a dynamic progress icon, which varied by shape (bar vs. ring) and progress percentage (20% vs. 80%). Then they reproduced the duration with a button, seeing a neutral grey square on the screen. The results revealed that the reproduced durations of bars were significantly shorter than those of rings, but only for the long duration condition (15 s). Additionally, a larger progress percentage led to longer reproductions for both 3 s and 15 s. These findings suggest that the spatial configuration is significant when the waiting time is relatively long, supporting the hierarchical model of temporal perception. Overall, this study contributes to both industrial design and our understanding of the cognitive mechanism of temporal perception.

Online short videos promoting public breast cancer literacy: a pretest-posttest control group trial on efficiency, attitude, and influencing factors

Background

Short videos on social media are playing an increasingly important role in cancer health education today. It is important to explore how the actual communication effect of health videos and the knowledge absorption of users are influenced by different factors of the video creation process.

Objective

The objective of our study is to access the factors influencing breast cancer health education through short videos on efficiency and quality.

Methods

Three pairs of videos about breast health were created and participants completed questionnaires before and after watching the videos. A paired t-test was used to analyze within-group change scores. RM-ANOVA was used to assess the relationship between the pretest, posttest, and three variables.

Results

Watching short videos can significantly increase viewers' knowledge of related health topics (p < 0.05). The viewers' concentration level while watching was significantly higher for the video with background music (BGM) than for the video without BGM (p = 0.006). The viewers' willingness to share was significantly higher for the video with a progress bar than for the video without a progress bar (p = 0.02). Using an interpreter wearing a doctor's uniform instead of casual wear and setting a progress bar can significantly improve the efficiency of knowledge absorption (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

A uniformed interpreter, BGM and a progress bar are factors influencing the efficiency of short health videos. They can be applied in video making to explore better ways of promoting cancer health education in the new mobile Internet environment.