The appearance of a virtual avatar significantly influences its perceived appropriateness and the user's experience, particularly in healthcare applications. This study analyzed interactions with six avatars of varying characteristics in a patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) application to investigate correlations between avatar ratings and user preferences. Forty-seven participants completed a healthcare survey involving 30 PROMIS items (Global Health and Physical Function) and then rated the avatars on warmth, competence, attractiveness, and human-likeness, as well as their willingness to share personal data. The results showed that competence was the most critical factor in avatar selection, while human-likeness had minimal impact on health data disclosure. Gender did not significantly affect the ratings, but clothing style played a key role, with male avatars in professional attire rated higher in competence due to gender-stereotypical expectations. In contrast, professional female avatars were rated lower in warmth and attractiveness. These findings underline the importance of thoughtful avatar design in healthcare applications to enhance user experience and engagement.

翻译：虚拟化身的外观显著影响其感知适宜性及用户体验，尤其在医疗健康应用中更为突出。本研究通过分析患者报告结局测量（PROMs）应用中六种不同特征化身的交互数据，探究化身评分与用户偏好之间的关联。四十七名参与者完成了一项包含30个PROMIS项目（全球健康与身体功能）的医疗健康调查，随后从温暖感、能力感、吸引力、拟人化程度及个人数据分享意愿五个维度对化身进行评分。结果表明：能力感是化身选择中最关键的因素，而拟人化程度对健康数据披露的影响微乎其微。性别因素未对评分产生显著影响，但着装风格具有关键作用——因性别刻板印象预期，身着职业装的男性化身在能力感维度获得更高评分；与之相反，职业女性化身在温暖感与吸引力维度评分较低。这些发现强调了医疗健康应用中精细化化身设计对提升用户体验与参与度的重要性。