Abstract
In human-computer interaction, aesthetics, usability and credibility are key factors in the design of a successful website. Specifically, aesthetics has been identified as one of the main drivers of web credibility. However, in the mobile domain, large-scale research, cutting across cultures and continents, which is key to the generalizability of findings, is scarce. To bridge this gap, we conducted a multicultural study among 526 participants from 5 continents: Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Europe. Using four systematically designed mobile websites, we investigated: (1) the interrelationships among aesthetics, usability and credibility; and (2) the moderating effect of gender. Our results, based on partial least square path modeling, reveal that: (1) perceived aesthetics is stronger than perceived usability in predicting the perceived credibility of mobile websites; and (2) gender moderates the effect of perceived aesthetics on perceived usability, with this effect being stronger for males than for females. Our findings underscore the need for designers to pay closer attention to aesthetics in designing successful mobile websites, as their visual appeal, irrespective of gender, enhances their perceived ease of use and credibility. These findings are noteworthy because, given the usability challenges posed by the relatively small-screen size of the mobile device, designers may be tempted to focus on designing easy-to-use websites only, while downplaying their visual appeal. Such a decision may adversely impact the overall credibility of their websites going by users’ first impression.
Highlights
The perceived credibility of a website is critical to the commercial success of its owners [1]
While a lot of research has been carried out on the influence of aesthetics and of usability [8] on credibility [1], [9], it remains to be seen in the mobile domain how these influences play out with respect to a mixed population comprised of different cultures, and how gender moderates the interrelationships among these three web design constructs [10]
Investigating this research topic has become important given: (1) the debate [11]–[16] regarding which of aesthetics and usability is more important, and should be given priority, in humancomputer interaction (HCI) and user interface (UI) design; and (2) the temptation for designers to focus more on usability and less on aesthetics owing to the usability challenges the relatively small-screen size of the mobile device poses in human-computer interaction [17], [18]
Summary
The perceived credibility of a website is critical to the commercial success of its owners [1]. According to the prominence-interpretation theory, postulated by Fogg [44], users assess online credibility based on specific elements they notice in the object under evaluation (prominence of design elements) and the judgment they make about the observed elements (the interpretation they gave them) of the object. He went further to explain that, if a specific element in a website is not noticed by users, it will have no impact on their overall credibility judgment of the site. He identified assumptions in the user’s mind (determined by culture, past experience, heuristics, etc.); skill/knowledge (determined by the user’s level of competency on the website’s subject matter); and context (e.g., the user’s environment, expectations, situational norms, etc.) as the main factors that may influence the interpretation of the elements of a website under evaluation [44]
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