Homepage aesthetics: The search for preference factors and the challenges of subjectivity

Abstract

While many studies have considered the usability of website homepages, subjective issues such as preference have been under explored. This paper describes a pilot study that investigates subjects' preferences for different homepages. The study applies Berlyne's theory of experimental aesthetics to website homepages. This theory suggests that there is an inverted-U shape relationship between preference for a stimulus and its complexity. Twelve subjects evaluated 12 homepages. The study used a ranking method to measure subjects' preferences and the relationships between complexity, pleasure and interestingness. In addition, verbal reports were collected. No support was found for an inverted-U shape relationship and the findings indicate that complexity is not a predictor of pleasure. However, the results uncovered a number of subjective factors that underlie preference. These factors include individual differences in taste and lifestyle all of which are highly personal factors that change and develop over time. In addition, the findings suggest a link between interestingness and curiosity. Lastly, the findings show an agreement on the judgements of complexity, and disagreement on aesthetic preferences. In conclusion, the paper points out the challenges faced in researching preference because of its highly subjective character.

Complexity and aesthetic pleasure in websites: an eye tracking study

“…The results of the present study suggest that websites perceived as low in complexity elicit higher levels of aesthetic appreciation than those that are more visually complex, supporting a growing amount of research that documents a negative relationship [25,28,39,40]. A key feature of working memory may help to elucidate the impact of complexity on felt aesthetics.…”

“…That is, the optimum level of aesthetic pleasure corresponds with the lowest degree of perceived complexity. For instance, Pandir and Knight [28], finding no support for Berlyne's theory of aesthetics, discovered a significant negative correlation between pleasure and complexity elicited from the perception of websites. Tuch, Bargas-Avilaa, Opwis, and Wilhelm [39] further uncovered a negative relationship between complexity and affective valence, and in addition, found that recognition performance is best with websites of low complexity.…”

“…In addition, Wang [41] likewise reported an overall preference for moderate complexity for children; although the introduction of gender as a control resulted in some preference differences between genders. However, additional research on website complexity challenges the classic relationship theorized by Berlyne [4], as studies on websites have often yielded a negative linear relationship between complexity and aesthetic pleasure [25,28,39,40]. That is, the optimum level of aesthetic pleasure corresponds with the lowest degree of perceived complexity.…”

“…Yet, too much information may result in high visual complexity which impacts the quality of perception, ultimately disengaging users. In the present study, we sought to shed further light on the relationship between visual complexity and aesthetics, which in past research, has produced contradictory findings [4,19,28,39].…”

Online purchase determinants of loyalty: The mediating effect of satisfaction in tourism

“…Switching costs have been studied broadly in the service sectors; 8 however, there are some major differences in nature between online services and offline services, such as the restrictions of operation time and its location (Yen, 2010). According to Pandir and Knight (2006), a key way of achieving that is through the homepage design. In fact, previous studies have suggested that visual appearance is extremely important in users' preferences (Shenkman and Jonsson, 2000;Kim and Niehm, 2009), and that consumers prefer beautiful websites, perceiving them even as more usable.…”