Aesthetics,
Visual Appeal, Usability and User Satisfaction: What Do
the User’s Eyes Tell the User’s Brain?
Author: Gitte Lindgaard
abstract
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 future importance
of the topics discussed is offered.
Keywords: Aesthetics;
emotion; user satisfaction; first impression; mere exposure
effect.
Gitte
Lindgaard is the Director of the
Human Oriented Technology Lab (HOTLab) and a Professor
of Psychology, both at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
The Australian
Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society
examines the social implications of emerging technologies,
from mobile Internet and wireless technologies to biotechnology and cybernetics.
