The Effect of Feedback on Web Site Delay: A Perceptual and Physiological Study

Web site delays are often unavoidable and have consistently been a major complaint of users online. Feedback can be provided to help alleviate users’ frustrations with delay. Two theories of time estimation—the internal clock theory and the attentional gate theory—are compared to determine how feedback may impact users’ estimations of delay length. Attentional and uncertainty reduction perspectives are then utilized to establish how feedback can influence perceived acceptability of a delay as well as satisfaction with and intention to return to a Web site. An experiment was conducted using a simulated online bookstore and search task. Perceptual data were collected using a questionnaire, and physiological data were collected using eye tracking equipment. Results of the analysis suggest that providing feedback does not affect estimations of delay but does increase perceived acceptability of the delay, satisfaction with the site, and intention to return to the site

La vitesse de défilement des barres de progression influence-t-elle la perception du temps d’attente ?

This research focuses on the satisfaction and waiting times perceived by a user during the moments where the interaction between the user and the system is temporarily interrupted (file download, setup of a program, etc.). These waiting times are often sources of anxiety and irritation. They go usually with the presentation of an animated progress bar. The objective of this research is to study the impact of different variable-rate progress bars by varying the speed of scrolling. Thus, we are interested in the effects of acceleration and deceleration between progress bars positions. The results confirm the existence of a causal link between perception of waiting time and satisfaction. In addition, a progress bar with a decelerating speed is significantly more appreciated by the users. The results may provide valuable information for the design of computer interfaces.Cette recherche s’intéresse à la satisfaction et au temps d’attente perçu par l’utilisateur au cours des périodes où son interaction avec le système est momentanément suspendue (chargement d’un fichier, installation d’une application, etc.). Ces temps d’attente, souvent sources d’anxiété et d’agacement, sont généralement agrémentés par la présentation d’une barre de progression. L’objectif de cette recherche est d’étudier l’impact sur l’utilisateur des variations du défilement de ces barres de progression. Ainsi, nous nous intéressons plus particulièrement aux effets d’accélération et de décélération de leur remplissage. Les résultats confirment l’existence d’un lien causal entre perception du temps d’attente et satisfaction. De plus, une barre de progression qui décélère est significativement plus appréciée des utilisateurs. Les résultats obtenus pourront servir de recommandations pour la conception des interfaces

The Magic of Slow-to-Fast and Constant: Evaluating Time Perception of Progress Bars by Bayesian Model

Objective: We aimed to use adaptive psychophysics methods, which is a Bayesian Model, to measure users' time perception of various progress bar quantitatively. Background: Progress bar informs users about the status of ongoing processes. Progress bars frequently display nonuniform speed patterns, such as acceleration and deceleration. However, which progress bar is perceived faster remain unclear. Methods: We measured the point of subject equality (PSE) of the constant progress bar toward four different 5-second progress bars with a non-constant speed. To measure PSE, in each trial, a constant progress bar and a non-constant progress bar were presented to participants. Participants needed to judge which one is shorter. Based on their choice, the model generated the time duration of constant progress bar in next trial. After 40 trials for each non-constant progress bar, the PSE was calculated by the model. Eye tracking was recorded during the experiment.Results: Our results show that the constant progress bar and speed-up progress bar are perceived to be faster. The anchoring effect fits the results of our study, indicating that the final part of the progress bar is more important for time perception. Moreover, the eye-tracking results indicate that the progress bar is perceived to be slower is related to the overload of cognitive resources.Conclusion: The constant progress bar and speed-up progress bar are perceived as the quickest. Application: The results suggest that UX design can use constant or speed-up progress bar, in order to improve user experience in waiting

The Online Waiting Experience: Using Temporal Information and Distractors to Make Online Waits Feel Shorter

Research on how to manage the online waiting experience has begun to emerge but has primarily focused on the use of distracting cues for online wait management (e.g., text and images that distract the user from the wait). The use of temporal information in waiting webpages (e.g., text and images that convey the duration of the wait) has received little attention from the information systems literature, and we have limited understanding about how the two types of cues (temporal information and distractors) affect wait time estimation. We address this gap by developing a theoretical model of how these cues affect the waiting experience and perceived waiting time. We tested the model with a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 controlled lab experiment and 1025 participants using progress bar treatments that included temporal information (spatial and text description of the wait time duration) and distractors (progress bar animation and accelerated filling of the progress bar) with both short and long wait conditions. We found that the two types of cues reduced perceived waiting time through different nomological paths. Temporal cues reduced perceived uncertainty about the wait, while distractor cues directed attention away from the wait, increasing perceived enjoyment and wait time distortion. Further, the enhanced waiting experience reduced the perceived waiting time. Further, these cues were effective in managing the online waiting experience with both short and long waits

To switch or not? Effects of spokes-character urgency during the social app loading process and app type on user switching intention

Users of mobile phone applications (apps) often have to wait for the pages of apps to load, a process that substantially affects user experience. Based on the Attentional Gate Model and Emotional Contagion Theory, this paper explores the effects of the urgency expressed by a spokes-character’s movement in the loading page of a social app the app type on users’ switching intention through two studies. In Study 1 (N = 173), the results demonstrated that for a hedonic-orientated app, a high-urgency (vs. low-urgency) spokes-character resulted in a lower switching intention, whereas the opposite occurred for a utilitarian-orientated app. We adopted a similar methodology in Study 2 (N = 182) and the results showed that perceived waiting time mediated the interaction effect demonstrated in Study 1. Specifically, for the hedonic-orientated (vs. utilitarian-orientated) social app, the high-urgency (vs. low-urgency) spokes-character made participants estimate a shorter perceived waiting time, which induces a lower user switching intention. This paper contributes to the literature on emotion, spokes-characters, and human–computer interaction, which extends an enhanced understanding of users’ perception during loading process and informs the design of spokes-characters for the loading pages of apps

The fidelity of prototype and testing environment in usability tests

This doctoral thesis investigated what setup of a usability test can best support valid test outcomes. Several aspects of contextual fidelity were manipulated in experimental usability studies, to examine their impact on test results. The first study demonstrated that the medium of prototype presentation has effects on test outcomes, which have not been found in previous research. Using a more hypothesis-driven approach, it was shown that participants exhibited more reading activity when using a paper-based as compared to a computer prototype presented on screen. This resulted in better performance, if task success required reading a short paragraph of text. Consequently, the medium of prototype presentation needs to be considered to avoid that respective usability problems go undetected. A second study demonstrated that additional observers may cause stress for test participants, which can be measured at the physiological level. Some performance indicators were affected, but only in interaction with perceived developmental stage of the test system. A third study investigated the effects of a work or leisure context on the outcome of a usability test. No effects were found for the type of usage context, but even short response time delays proved to be relevant for performance and emotions. Relevant factors for the validity of usability test outcomes were identified and theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Keywords: Usability test; paper prototype; fidelity; observer presence; work and leisure domain; system response time; heart rate variability; validity