Responsive List Width for Portable Devices With Different Widths of Screen

The present study aimed to determine the responsive list width that can effectively enhance visual search efficiency and user experience on portable devices. We manipulated the width of single-column and parent-child lists (from very narrow to very wide) for portable devices with medium- (Experiment 1; N = 80) and large-width screens (Experiment 2; N = 41). Results show that for the single-column lists on a medium-width screen, users showed the highest preference and rating scores of satisfaction and visual aesthetics when the lists were moderately wide. Additionally, for the single-column lists on a large-width screen, users preferred both the moderately-narrow and moderately-wide lists. However, for the parent-child lists, our results show that both the moderately-wide and very-wide lists were favored on the medium-width and large-width screens. These findings may be due to users’ preference for the proper white space on various screens, thus providing useful guidelines for the responsive design of lists on portable devices.