Important Design Features in Different Web Site Domains: An Empirical Study of User Perceptions

Abstract

This study uses an inductive thematic analysis approach to examine user perceptions on the importance of Web site design features in six different Web site domains: Financial, e-Commerce, Entertainment, Education, Government, and Medical. The five most important features, as well as the five most important families of features, were identified for each of the domains. The results indicate that (1) there are certain features that are perceived as equally important among different domains; (2) there are other features that are regarded as extremely important for one domain and extremely unimportant for another. The study provides empirical evidences for Web site designers and evaluators about what features are more important to focus on when dealing with Web site domains. It adds value to the current literature on consumer behavior in the electronic environment and web usability studies.