Question: **Is there any evidence which shows whether users are more able to recognise another user's Photo over their Username or vice versa?**

I am interested in understanding this from a usability perspective.

Lets say on a site such as this network, a user has both a username as well as a photo/avatar.

* On *Sci-Fi.se* [DVK](https://scifi.stackexchange.com/users/976/dvk) has a very recognisable **avatar**
* On *StackOverflow.se* [Jon Skeet](https://stackoverflow.com/users/22656/jon-skeet) has a very memorable **username**

Which of these is more recognisable/memorable?1

i.e. If **DVK** was to change his picture2, would this throw users off (not quickly recognising who the post if from) or would there be more of an issue if **Jon Skeet** changed his username?3

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**1.** Lets ignore rep points, as it is not relevant to my question.  

**2.** The caveat here is that 'DVK' is also a memorable username, but for the sake of this example lets ignore that.  

**3. Please reference research where possible.**

Answer: 
Remember or recall words or images is highly individual and depends on which hemisphere of the brain is dominant. My right half of the brain is slightly more dominant than the left, which makes me remember a face rather than the name. Sometimes I'm embarrassed when meeting people on the street and I recognize the person, but don't recall their name. If we start talking it takes a while before I remember the name because I need other details as well.

That's why avatar and username together are important to support both memory styles.

> 
> Some people are just better at remembering in a certain way—even identical twins may vary in that regard—and it can relate to which hemisphere of the brain is dominant. Visual memory (which we call episodic memory) relates to the right hemisphere of the brain, which is associated with intuition. Verbal (semantic) memory is primarily a function of the left hemisphere, which we link with analytical thinking. The difference between the two kinds of memory becomes most obvious when it comes to recalling a deeply emotional event—9/11 or the day JFK was shot, for example. People with a strong semantic memory recall headlines, quotes, and phrases; those inclined toward visual memory retain the pictures and images of the event more vividly.
> 
> 
> 

Reference: [Ask Dr. Gupta: Why Do I Recall Words Better Than Pictures?](http://www.prevention.com/health/brain-games/dr-sanjay-gupta-visual-memory)
As most people have said, it depends on the user.

For me personally it depends entirely on the context.

* On forums I'm heavily dependant on usernames for identifying people. I tend to remember people by their usernames on forums (and here). I think this is because forum users tend to use avatars detached from their identity such as cartoon characters or memes.
* On Twitter and Facebook I'm heavily reliant on the avatars of users because those people tend to represent themselves by their own face. I either learn what they look like (if i don't know them personally) or if it's someone i already know from the real world I know their face.

I So my answer would be think about the context of use and base your decision on that.