Users experience psychological and physiological effects when interacting with web pages, experiencing frustration when not completing tasks and engagement at faster web sites. Learn how web page response times affect user psychology and behavior. more »

By website optimization on 30 May 2008 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A usability survey revealed that high growth companies are not evaluating and improving their home page designs in a systematic way. By comparing the home pages of the Fortune 30 against Inc Magazine's fastest growing companies, researchers from Minnesota State University found the Fortune 30 had a usability score over 36% higher than the fast growing companies. more »

By website optimization on 31 May 2007 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We interview today's digital Darwin Peter Pirolli, summarizing his revolutionary new book Information Foraging Theory. Hungry minds are foraging for valuable information on the Web. Learn how to boost your website's information scent or risk becoming a missing link. more »

By website optimization on 5 Feb 2007 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A recent study examined whether website delay, breadth, and familiarity have interactive effects on user psychology and performance. A significant three-way interaction among all three factors showed that the ill effects of delay can be dampened by familiarity and breadth. Developers are urged to consider site familiarity, breadth, and delay together rather than separately. more »

By website optimization on 29 Nov 2006 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new browser study revealed a shift in how we interact with the Web. University of Hamburg researchers found the Web moving from static hypertext information to dynamic interactive services. Clickstream heatmaps and web page statistics show rapid interaction over smaller areas of the screen. The authors recommend that web developers create concise, flexible, and fast loading web pages to keep pace with the speed of web navigation. more »

By website optimization on 26 Jul 2006 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

Web designers have as little as 50 milliseconds to capture the interest of potential customers. Through the halo effect, first impressions can influence subsequent judgments of website credibility and buying decisions. more »

By website optimization on 17 Jan 2006 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)