---
title: Earlier Seen, More Often Chosen: Image Loading Speed as a Potential Seed of Hidden Manipulation
tags: 
author: [Nakamura Laboratory (Meiji University)](https://www.docswell.com/user/nkmr-lab)
site: [Docswell](https://www.docswell.com/)
thumbnail: https://bcdn.docswell.com/page/GJWGW33872.jpg?width=480
description: Itsuki Kanaya, Takaya Miyama, Yuichiro Kinoshita, Satoshi Nakamura. Earlier Seen, More Often Chosen: Image Loading Speed as a Potential Seed of Hidden Manipulation, Proceedings of the 14th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, No.69, pp.1-15, 2026.
published: October 03, 26
canonical: https://www.docswell.com/s/nkmr-lab/5N72N7-2026-10-03-014936
---
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NordiCHI’26 | 2026.10.05 @Vaasa, Finland
Earlier Seen, More Often Chosen:
Image Loading Speed as a Potential
Seed of Hidden Manipulation
Itsuki Kanaya,
Takaya Miyama, Yuichiro Kinoshita, Satoshi Nakamura
（Meiji University）
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Background [1/5]
Focus on factors that can influence user choice
These elements are visually noticeable
In particular, we focus on:
Choice-influencing factors in apparently fair interfaces
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Background [2/5]
Hidden Manipulation
- Factors that influence user’s choices without being recognized as guidance.
e.g.）Positions
/
Color
/
Font Style …
[Valenzuela+ 2009]
[Sekiguchi+ 2023]
[Ueki+ 2023]
Hidden Manipulation can be problematic
・Users may not realize their choices are being influenced.
・Designers may unintentionally affect user’s choices.
We need to identify factors that can become Hidden Manipulation.
Valenzuela, A., et al. : Position-based beliefs: The center-stage effect. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19, 185–196, 2009.
Yuto Sekiguchi, et al. : Does the Average Color Influence Selection?, HCII 2023, Vol.LNCS, volume 14012, pp.485-496, 2023.
Riho Ueki, et al. : Does the Type of Font Face Induce the Selection?, HCII 2023, Vol.LNCS 14012, pp.497-510, 2023.


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Background [3/5]
Many choice interfaces use images as options.
e.g., online shopping, mobile ordering, character voting etc.
Hidden Manipulation could be problematic in these interfaces.
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Background [4/5]
Differences in loading speed of image can occur naturally.
Due to factors such as network latency, File size etc.
The loading speed can differ from image to image.
→ Some images may appear earlier or later than others.
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Background [5/5]
If loading-speed differences can bias user choice,
they could be applied in situations like these:
Online Voting – Characters, people etc.
Online Purchases – Mobile ordering etc.
Whether changing image loading speed could influence user choice


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Research Question
How does image loading speed influence user choice
in an apparently fair interface?
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Experiment Overview [1/3]
Two experiments using two image presentation formats
- Examined the effect of image loading speed on user choice
Based on common image loading behavior on the Web
Experiment 1：Appear from top to bottom
Web
Experiment
Experiment 2：Gradually become clearer
Web
Experiment
Loading speed did not affect the final appearance of each image.


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Experiment Overview [2/3]
Task：Select one image from four options
- Questions about user’s preferences, as shown below
20 trials per participant
- 15 main trials ， 5 attention checks
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Experiment Overview [3/3]
Speed Conditions
Synchronous
Earlier-Loading
Later-Loading
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-> Same loading speed for all four images
-> Faster loading for one image
-> Slower loading for one image
《Hypothesis》
Earlier loading increases selection in both formats.
→ Compare earlier-loading selection rate with chance（25%）
Recruited 1,000 participants for each experiment via crowdsourcing.


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Experiment 1
Images appear from Top to Bottom
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Experiment 2
Images gradually become clearer
＜Blur＞
Blurred→Clear
＜Pixel＞
Pixelated→Clear


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Experiment Result
Selection rate of the target image with four options
Exp. 1
Chance: 25% vs. Early-loading: 28.73%
p < .01
（n=1,695）
Exp. 2
Chance: 25% vs. Early-loading: 28.15%
p < .01
（n=2,625）
Blur: 28.34%，Pixel: 27.99%
Earlier-loading options were more likely to be selected.
→ Hypothesis was supported


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General Discussion [1/3]
・Earlier-loading option: 25% → 28%
+3 percentage points
A small bias can matter in large-scale or close decisions.
e.g., elections, high-value purchases
https://cigs.canon/article/20241028_8417.html
The effect may be more relevant to casual choice situation.
e.g., mobile ordering, online voting like MLB All-Star voting
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General Discussion [2/3]
・Potential for Hidden Manipulation
Loading differences commonly occur naturally on the Web.
→Similar differences can also be intentionally introduced.
→Users may perceive them as natural loading behavior.
Designers may unintentionally influence user’s choice.
→Preload images to align when images become visible to users.
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General Discussion [3/3]
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Earlier-loading options were selected more often
→ One possible explanation：Primacy Effect
Primacy Effect
- Information presented earlier tends to have a stronger influence
on judgement and choice. [Krosnick et al. 1987]
Earlier-loading images became fully visible first.
Earlier visual availability may provide a selection advantage.
→ The earlier-loading effect may be related to the primacy effect.
J. A. Krosnick, et al.: “An Evaluation of a Cognitive Theory of Response-Order Effects in Survey Measurement”, The Public Opinion Quarterly, 51, 2, pp. 201–219 (1987).


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Limitations and Future Work
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・Simple four-option selection task
→ More complex decision-making tasks
・Only limited loading-speed conditions were tested
→ Various realistic loading speeds
・Participants’ awareness of potential influence of loading speed on
their choices was not measured.
→ Assess awareness of both loading-speed differences
and their potential influence on choice.


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Take-home message from our study
Image loading speed can influence user choice.
Avoid unnecessary loading-speed differences between images
→ Reduce unintended choice bias
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