Effects of Aesthetics and Playfulness on Web Usability – An empirical investigation (original) (raw)
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An empirical investigation of color temperature and gender effects on web aesthetics
Journal of Usability …, 2008
Limited research exists on the relevance of hedonic dimensions of human-computer interaction to usability, with only a small set of this research being empirical in nature. Furthermore, previous research has obtained mixed support for gender differences regarding perceptions of attractiveness and usability in Web site design. This empirical research addresses the above gap by studying the effects of color temperature and gender on perceptions of Web site aesthetics. A 2 x 2 between-subject research design manipulates the temperature of a Web site’s primary and secondary colors. Each color pair consists of adjacent hues and is categorized as either warm or cool. Findings include significantly more favorable perceptions regarding a Web site design’s aesthetics when cool color combinations (blue-light blue), as opposed to warm color combinations (red-orange), are used; direct effects of classical aesthetic dimensions (e.g., cleanliness) on expressive aesthetics items (e.g., creativity); and no effects of gender on either set of aesthetics.
Investigation of the relationship between aesthetics and perceived usability in web pages
2014
The main hypothesis of the thesis is that between two systems identical in functionality and usability, differences in aesthetics may positively influence users perceived usability. To date, a narrow focus on the engineering aspects of aesthetics has adversely affected the scope and success of experiments, therefore previous work in the field needed to be revisited. The thesis reviews literature and theory in usability and aesthetics, the latter from the point of the view of philosophy, theory, and application. It also explores the relationship between aesthetics, usability and user engagement; discusses a distinct new trend research that identifies a link between beauty and perceived usability of website interaction; and develops a pilot for an experimental methodology. Based on conclusions from the review of the field of usability, two experiments where designed and carried out, an independent measures and repeated measures. The findings of these experiments confirmed the hypothes...
The set up of practical methods for evaluation of web site aesthetics from the user perspective and the provision of useful feedback to designers is an open issue in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The paper presents an evaluation study of aesthetic attributes of two web sites from the user perspective and compares the results to the design team. The study initially involved the formulation of a set of aesthetic attributes and their appreciation by a user group of 111 users for two web sites, following a traditional user testing approach. The user evaluation was then compared to the design team's appreciation of these aesthetic attributes for their own designs. The main results of this test was that: (a) the two groups have a similar view about the presence of a considerable number of the selected aesthetic attributes; (b) users have rated most aesthetic attributes significantly lower than designers; (c) different aesthetic attributes become important for different objects of study for both groups. The design team found the evaluation informative and inspiring; however they identified the need for further explanation of user responses in terms of suggested design patterns and examples. Also, a number of recommendations towards an evaluation method of aesthetics in HCI are identified and discussed
Exploring the Boundary Conditions of the Effect of Aesthetics on Perceived Usability
2018
GRISHIN, JOHN. Exploring the Boundary Conditions of the Effect of Aesthetics on Perceived Usability (Under the direction of Dr. Douglas J. Gillan.) This research examined whether users’ judgments of usability and aesthetics, as well as any association between the two, might change with their continued experience with a system. This study explored the hypotheses that 1) aesthetics contribute disproportionately to judgments of usability, and that 2) the influence of aesthetics on judgments of usability will diminish with continued use and experience. A website—a patient portal for a fictitious medical practice—was developed for the Internet. Two variables, usability and aesthetics, were manipulated yielding four versions of the patient portal website: High Aesthetics High Usability, High Aesthetics Low Usability, Low Aesthetics High Usability, Low Aesthetics Low Usability. Participants were recruited to perform three online tasks on each of the four versions of the website. After each...
2020
What is already known about the topic? The influence of website design on consumers" behaviour is an important topic of interest all around the world. There is a need to establish a relationship between colour, usability& aesthetics on the consumer behaviour in an online setting.. What this paper adds Reviews international research (from business, user experience and psychology) on influence of design on consumer behaviour. Highlights the impact of colour, usability and aesthetics on the consumer and his behaviour. Identifiesissues in current research and offers recommendations for future user experience-based research.
Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society
The impact of colour on the first impression of a website is discussed in the light of several rather puzzling experimental findings, which suggest that background colour and colour combinations might influence users’ subsequent opinion of, and satisfaction with, a site. Theories of, and approaches to, studying aesthetics and emotion are outlined briefly. It is concluded that, although the criteria by which people judge visual appeal, user satisfaction and trustworthiness are still unclear, perceived usability appears to be related to the detection of stumbling blocks that hinder smooth interaction with a web site and probably to the orderliness of screens. User satisfaction is a complex construct that incorporates several measurable concepts and is the culmination of the interactive user experience. Experimental results suggest that people may be more satisfied with a beautiful product that performs sub-optimally than with a more usable but less appealing product. A glance into the...
User Satisfaction, Aesthetics and Usability
Usability, 2002
Results from a series of web site studies suggest that the concept of user satisfaction comprises more than perceived aesthetics and usability. Satisfaction was repeatedly found to be a complex construct comprising 'emotion', 'likeability', and 'expectation' as well. A web site very high in appeal but low in usability scored highly on user satisfaction when first encountered. However, when faced with serious problems in a usability test, users' overall level of satisfaction dropped considerably, but perceived aesthetics remained unchanged. Given the known importance of the first impression for subsequent judgments, our results suggest that user interface designers of ecommerce sites would be well advised to design pretty and usable sites. Designing for user efficiency and effectiveness alone is not enough unless the products and services offered on a web site are unique in the world.
Interaction, usability and aesthetics: what influences users' preferences?
Proceedings of the 6th …, 2006
In this paper we describe an evaluation of two websites with the same content but different interface styles (traditional menu-based and interactive metaphors). A formative usability evaluation was carried out with heuristic assessment of aesthetics; and questionnaire assessment of aesthetics, content, information quality, usability and post-test memory. The study revealed that perception of information quality is affected by the interaction style implemented in the interface, in a manner resembling the halo effect in person perception. Implications for website design and evaluation are discussed.
Perceived Website Aesthetics by Users and Designers
International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, 2000
The set up of practical methods for evaluation of web site aesthetics from the user perspective and the provision of useful feedback to designers is an open issue in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The paper presents an evaluation study of aesthetic attributes of two web sites from the user perspective and compares the results to the design team. The study initially involved the formulation of a set of aesthetic attributes and their appreciation by a user group of 111 users for two web sites, following a traditional user testing approach. The user evaluation was then compared to the design team's appreciation of these aesthetic attributes for their own designs. The main results of this test was that: (a) the two groups have a similar view about the presence of a considerable number of the selected aesthetic attributes; (b) users have rated most aesthetic attributes significantly lower than designers; (c) different aesthetic attributes become important for different objects of study for both groups. The design team found the evaluation informative and inspiring; however they identified the need for further explanation of user responses in terms of suggested design patterns and examples. Also, a number of recommendations towards an evaluation method of aesthetics in HCI are identified and discussed