Effective Web Site Design: Insight from Information Processing

Abstract

The Web has been a destination for commerce for well over a decade, so it is time to take stock of what we know, or do not know, about Web design. A review of the literature to date provides evidence that we have really just begun to understand what makes a Web site optimal from a design standpoint. As the Web is first and foremost a source of information, this chapter focuses on Web design from an information processing perspective. Studies are described using cognitive maps and preferences as a possible framework for understanding why some designs are more effective than others in terms of viewers’ likelihood of revisit and overall impression.