ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Comput. Sci.
Sec. Human-Media Interaction
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcomp.2025.1531976
Effect of Anthropomorphism and Perceived Intelligence in Chatbot Avatars of Visual Design on User Experience: Accounting for Perceived Empathy and Trust
Provisionally accepted
- 1Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
- 2Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Kyiv, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine
- 3Capital Normal University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
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The rapid advancement of intelligent chatbots has transformed human-AI interaction, offering new opportunities while presenting challenges in enhancing user experience (UX) through psychological and design factors. This study explores the impact of anthropomorphism and perceived intelligence in chatbot avatars on user experience (UX), focusing on the mediating roles of perceived empathy and trust. To achieve this, a 2×2 within-subjects experiment involving 160 participants was conducted to systematically examine these effects. Specifically, the study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate how the visual design of chatbot avatars influences user experience, with empathy and trust serving as mediators in this relationship. Results indicate that while direct effects of anthropomorphism and perceived intelligence on user experience are insignificant, their cumulative influence is significant through perceived empathy and trust. Specifically, higher anthropomorphism correlates with increased empathy and trust, ultimately enhancing user experience. These findings underscore the importance of emotional engagement over mere intelligence in designing effective chatbots. This research contributes unique insights into the complex mechanisms governing user interactions with intelligent chatbots, emphasizing the need for design strategies that prioritize emotional connections and cognitive ease.
Keywords: Anthropomorphism design1, user experience2, perceived empathy3, Perceived trust, human-Al interaction
Received: 26 Nov 2024; Accepted: 17 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Khynevych, Hao and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yahui Wang, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
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