We carried out the biggest Internet survey on the aesthetic influence of the golden ratio so far. Our 660 subjects from all around the world did not know what this was all about. It's time to tell them and thank them.

1. A Web-based Survey
to Evaluate
the Aesthetic Impact of
the Golden Ratio
Gaganjit Singh
Mario Verdicchio
Mario Arrigoni Neri

2. Our objective
Perform an Internet survey
to check whether
abstract designs based on
the golden ratio are preferred
by our subjects

3. Related work
A. Ajluni et al.
“A Study on Adult
Female Human
Perception of the Golden
Ratio in Paintings using
Psychological Survey”
2010

4. vs.

5. Shortcoming
The compared paintings are
different on so many
levels, we cannot attribute
the choice on the sole
golden ration factor

6. More related work
A. Dumitrescu,
“Experiment for the
rediscovery of the perfect
proportion of rectangle”
2009

8. Shortcoming
The use of
cardboard rectangles
with different ratios
hardly constitutes
an aesthetic experience

9. Moreover
Subjects of first test:
105 Parisian women
Subjects of second test:
57 students
of a technical university

10. We wanted more
More subjects
from different contexts
More aesthetic experience
than isolated rectangles
but without too many
other interfering factors

11. To have more subjects
An Internet-based
international survey
with invitations spread out
by means of email and
social networks

12. To have more aesthetic
experience focused on
rectangles
A generative algorithm to
create abstract
compositions with
rectangles

13. Please check
cs.unibg.it/GenerativeTest

14. Test 1
vs.

15. Test 2
vs.

16. Test 3
vs.

17. Results
660 test subjects
from 27 different countries
Russia, UK, Italy, India,
Switzerland, Ukraine,
USA, Argentina, Germany,
Canada, Greece, Japan,
Sweden, Belarus, France,
Netherlands, Spain,…

18. Results
By far the biggest survey
on the golden ratio
ever performed

19. Results
But…

20. Results 1
Golden
on the 58%
right
wins
Golden
57%
on the
wins
left

21. Results 2
Golden
on the 58%
right
wins
Golden
51%
on the
wins
left

22. Results 3
51%
wins
41%
loses

23. Interpreting the results
Although we tried to
leave out any other
aesthetic factor than
the rectangle ratio
there seem to be at least
two interfering issues

24. Space-filling [S]
Subjects prefer
compositions that fill the
available space
in a better way:
not too empty,
not overcrowded

25. Ergonomics [R]
As most of the subjects are
right-handed
(statistics says 87% of
population)
when undecided
there is a tendency
to click on the right

26. Interpreting the results
A combination of these
two factors seems to offer
an explanation of the
results

27. Results 1
+[S] 58%
+[R]
wins
57% +[S]
wins
-[R]

28. Results 2
+[S] 58%
+[R]
wins
51% +[S]
wins
-[R]

29. Results 3
51%
wins
41%
loses

30. Conclusions
Instead of providing
indications on the golden
ratio, our test yielded two
more hypotheses to test,
about composition and
about ergonomy

31. Challenge
To design a test
that isolates
one of several factors
that affect
our aesthetic experience

32. Thank you