Intentional Bias: An Empirical Study of Interpellative User Experiences on University Donor Websites

Abstract

There are at least three problems with current knowledge concerning emotional design and persuasive user interfaces. First, although many works theorize concepts, they fail to offer concrete design techniques that make use of theories. Second, when specific design techniques are offered, they have rarely been empirically tested. Third, there is a tendency to assume that user-centered design techniques do not contribute substantively to the rhetorical effect of interfaces. This article bridges these gaps by offering a fresh perspective on persuasive design, by using Louis Althusser's theory of “interpellation” as a foundation, and by articulating empirically tested design techniques. The mixed method study featured hypothetical “interpellative” design techniques, use of an authentic scenario to drive talk-aloud protocols with representative users, and a comment coding data analysis technique to validate hypotheses using trained raters. The results, backed by 92% inter-rater reliability, confirmed 8 of 9 hypotheses, thereby yielding 8 concrete techniques that can be used to design donor websites. Regarding the techniques themselves, the study's principal finding is that usability is not a secondary characteristic of persuasion—i.e., it is not something that designers should consider after designing for persuasive effect. Usability must therefore be a critical component of work in aesthetic and experiential design.