To enhance the emotional learning motivation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the work aims to explore the stimulating effects of different character images in basic emotional learning and use the character design in picture books as a starting point to provide reference for character design and intervention training. Therefore, a research method for character design based on the ARCS motivation model is proposed. Firstly, a set of indicator systems applicable to picture book character evaluation was established by combining the ARCS motivational dimensions. Based on literature research, 7 representative eye-tracking indicators and 1 item of emotional matching data were selected, and the experimental data of these indicators were collected with an eye tracker. Secondly, the weights of objective experimental indicators were calculated by the entropy weight method, and the comprehensive ranking of each sample type of character was determined by the entropy weight TOPSIS method. By comparing three different types of visual stimulating characters, the overall scores and rankings of the samples were obtained. The results showed that ASD children had the most obvious motivation feedback to object characters among the three types of characters, and these types of characters had different degrees of impact on the eye-tracking indicators of ASD children, thus having different intervention effects. Introducing the ARCS motivational theory model into the design of picture book characters, combined with eye-tracking experiments to analyze the correlation between motivational strategies and character element features, can effectively improve the lack of learning motivation in intervention training, and establish an evaluation system to provide research ideas for subsequent relevant designs.