Example 1 – Presumed Credibility

www.thesite.org

‘TheSite.org is owned and run by YouthNet UK, a registered charity founded in 1995.’ (n.d.)  It is a website dedicated to helping the young generation through problems such as drinking, sex and drugs.  The site is used when these people need someone to turn to for guidance and support.  The site itself has nothing to gain, but is giving so much to the younger community, therefore it is presumed that the information is trustworthy and it is not a scam.  It ends in ‘.org’ as well, which is associated with non-profit organisations, which adds to the presumed credibility.

Image 1: thesite.org

Example 2 – Reputed Credibility

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/healthyactive/publishing.nsf/content/eating

This website promoting healthy eating has reputed credibility.  It included links to other reputable sites and is supported by the Australian Government.  This dramatically increases the credibility of the site, giving the reader an instant sense of trust, in which they presume the information is all correct.

Image 2: Healthy Eating

Example 3 – Surfaced Credibility

www.emmawatson.com

This site is dedicated to the Harry Potter actress, Emma Watson.

The homepage is easy on the eye, does not take long to download and very simple to navigate.  There is a ‘Latest’ link in which the user can see that the site is frequently updated with the date and time listed for each update. This gives the user a sense of surface credibility and believability.

Image 3: emmawatson.com

Example 4 – Earned Credibility

http://www.karrivalleyresort.com.au/

This website is for the Karri Valley Resort.  It is updated frequently with new package deals and specials, easy to navigate and  very simple, yet effective.  When making a booking, it will send a confirmation email straight away, gaining earned credibility.  There are also three awards shown on the page, adding to the earned credibility.

Image 4: Karri Valley Resort

End-Text Reference

[Image 1: thesite.org] (n.d., 2010) Retrieved May30th, 2010 from: www.thesite.org

[Image 2: Healthy Eating] (n.d., 2010) Retrieved May 30th, 2010 from: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/healthyactive/publishing.nsf/content/eating

[Image 3: emmawatson.com] (n.d., 2010) Retrieved May 30th, 2010 from: www.emmawatson.com

[Image 4: Karri Valley Resort] (n.d., 2010) Retrieved May 30th, 2010 from: www.karrivalleyresort.com.au

Factors that may effect web credibility in the future are:

-  Links to other reputable organisations.

-  Advertising on the TV, radio and billboards with the website (reinforces trust in the viewer).

-  Photos of the staff member and the company logo.

-  Short biography of staff members, including qualifications.

-  Make the ‘contact us’ and ‘about us’ sections easily accessible.

-  Try to perceive the questions users may have and answer them within the site, or on the ‘Frequently asked Questions’ section.

-  Give the customer a reason to want to use your company (i.e. previous satisfied customers feedback and any awards won, etc).

-  Page needs to be frequently updated.

-  All links have to work.

-  Has to stand out from the rest as there are more and more websites competing against each other as the years go on.

-  Needs to appear professional, with no spelling errors or grammar errors.  People will not trust you if your sentences do not make sense.

-  Nothing demanding the user to sign up (i.e. advertisements on other websites saying ‘Try this, it’s fast and free!’ as reader will simply skip over it).

All these factors contribute to the credibility of a website and as time goes on and more and more websites are being run, these factors wil become even more important and have to be taken to a higher level than they are today.

No, users tend to trust the information on wikipedia, as it usually is one of the top 5 results when searching a topic.  Wikipedia has information on everything you can imagine, and because it appears in the top search, it is believed to be relevent and true.  The use of links within the text, leading to other wikipedia pages also adds to peoples idea that it is a credible site, as well as the ease of usability of the design.

However, the information obtained through wikipedia can definately be false and even 100% incorrect.  The information could even be  joke.  This is because anybody, anywhere in the world can write a report or article on wikipedia, make up the sources and references and make it appear authentic.  This being the case, wikipedia is, rightfully, not an acceptable source for academic assignments as students may obtain the incorrect information and in turn, affect their education. 

Once users understand the wavering reliability of wikipedia, it ‘falls under the category of ‘it’s obvious once you know it”‘ (n.d., 2004) and users tend not to trust the site anymore. 

The use of reference to wikipedia in this question is to prove the unreliability of the information sourced from the site. 

End-Text Reference

n.d. (2010) Wikipedia: About Wikipedia.  Retrieved May 29th, 2010 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About

n.d. (2004) Beyond Web Usability:  Web Credibility.  Retreived May 29th, 2010 from: http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-credibility/beyond-web-usability.shtml

‘Anyone can put up a website promising to deliver the “best service at the lowest prices”. Web users must be able to believe there’s a real organisation behind your website’ (n.d, 2004).  It is important to evaluate credibility in websites so as to gain correct information on a topic and trust who you may consider doing business with.  If we did not evaluate the credibility of a website, we may find ourselves in situations where we lose money or obtain wrong information.  ‘As more of our communication, commerce, and personal data goes online, credibility becomes an increasingly important issue’ (Lazar, 2007).  Nowadays, especially with online shopping and hotel/flight bookings, we must evaluate the credibility of a website so as not to become a victim of online fraud, and have our money stolen.

Web credibility is very important to students doing research, especially if they rely on their facts to be 100% correct.  If a website is not credible, and students did not evaluate the credibility and simply trusted the information, they could fail their assignments and obtain untrue informtion.  This false information will overall affect their education and plant wrong ideas in their heads, possibly also affecting their careers.  In the case of medical studies, it could affect the wellbeing of future patients if the student remembers some false information and acts upon it in the future.

End-Text Reference

Lazar, J. (2007) Understanding Web Credibility: A Synthesis of Web Literature.  Retrieved May 29th, 2010 from: http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/32639882/Understanding-Web-Credibility-A-Synthesis-of-the-Research-Literature

n.d. (2004) Beyond Web Usability:  Web Credibility.  Retreived May 29th, 2010 from: http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-credibility/beyond-web-usability.shtml

Example 1 – Washing Machines

Washing machines reduce the kinematic load.  Instead of hand washing clothes, which is time consuming and requires a lot of physical effort, the washing machine reduces the entire process.  The user only has to hang the clothes out after the machine cycle has finished.

Imge 1: Washing Machine

Example 2 – ECU Homepage.

The ECU homepage uses the technique of ‘chunking’ to reduce the cognitive load.  The information is divided into sections or ‘units’ for easy reading and easy navigation, effectively reducing the amount of mental activity required of the user to complete a task or find information.

Image 2: ECU homepage

Example 3 – Dish Washer

A dish washer is designed to reduce the kinematic load of washing the dishes, resulting in the user being able to wash more dishes with less physical activity.

Image 3: Dishwasher

End-Text Reference

[Image 1: Washing Machine] (n.d.) Retreived May 29th, 2010 from:  http://compareindia.in.com/media/images/2009/jul/img_71232_samsung-fully-automatic-wm_wb.jpg

[Image 2: ECU Homepage] (n.d.) Retreived May 29th, 2010 from: www.ecu.edu.au

[Image 3: Dishwasher] (n.d.) Retreived May 29th, 2010 from: http://couragetosing.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dishwasher2.jpg

Different colours and different layouts stimulate different emotions and responses from humans.  Effective visual design is made up of different aspects, including colour, balance, direction and proportion (Evans and Thomas, 2008).

The colour blue, for example, ‘induces a sense of exquisite pleasure and joyous serenity’ (Rhodes and Leon, 2005, pg 47).

Fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Hungry Jacks, sport the colours red and yellow as psychological studies have proven these colours induce a sense of hunger and ‘instantly [attract] attention…[making] people excited, energetic, and increase the heart rate’ (no author, 2007).

The theory behind Cognitive Load has been developed through use of scientific studies. Techniques of reducing this load, such as ‘chunking [which is] applied as a general technique to simplify design’ (Lidwell, Holden, Butler, 2003, pg 30), are also resultant from these studies of psychology of the human mind.

Psychological studies are important in design as it helps us recognise what aspects of design trigger which emotions and responses, therefore shaping our strategic approach to visual communication.

End-Text Reference

Rhodes, H. and Leon, H. (2005) The Psychology and Tradition of Colour.  (pg 47) Kessinger Publisher.

Evans, P. & Thomas, M. (2008)  Exploring the Elements of Design. Delmar Cagage Learning.

Lidwell, Holden and Butler (2003) Chunking. In Universal Principles of Design. (pg 30)  Massachusetts Rockport.

No Author. (2007) Why Food Companies use Red Colours. Retrieved on May 24th, 2010 from: http://www.colorschemer.com/blog/2007/07/17/why-food-companies-use-red-colors/

Chunking refers to the ‘strategy of breaking down information into bite sized pieces so the brain can more easily digest new information’ (Malamed, n.d)

This means that the chunks of information are easier for the reader to comprehend and remember.

Studies have shown that the maximum number of items, words or new information a person can remember is four, give or take one.

For example; a person will easily remember a list of 5 items for thirty seconds, whereas they would find it more difficult to remember a list of 10 items for thirty seconds (Lidwell, Holden & Butler, 2003, pg 30).

Information that has been broken down and caters to the chunking technique is visually more appealing. It appears to be more aesthetically designed and appeals to the reader to not be such a daunting task.

When using a computer, one must recognise that the screen is limited in what it can show.  For a long document or web design, it is difficult to remember and recall what was on the top of the page. ‘Long pages tend to disorient readers…concise chunks of information are better suited to the computer screen, which provides a limited view of long documents’ (Lynch & Horton, 2002).

When designing, carefully prioritize what information needs to be chunked.  In theory, this technique will ‘accelerate the process whereby novices will begin to perform like experts’ (Buxton, 1986). It will increase the aesthetics of your design and decrease the mental activity required, effectively decreasing the cognitive load, helping readers to obtain and retain information, making learning easier.

End-Text Reference

Evans, P. & Thomas, M. (2008)  Exploring the Elements of Design. Delmar Cagage Learning.

Buxton, W. (1986) Chunking and Phrasing and the Design of Human-Computer Dialogues. Dublin, Ireland.

Lidwell, Holden and Butler (2003) Chunking. In Universal Principles of Design. (pg 30)  Massachusetts Rockport.

Lynch & Horton. (2002) Site Design: “Chunking” information. Retrieved on May 23rd, 2010 from: webstyledesign.com//wsg2/site/chunking.html

Malamed, C. (n.d) The eLearning Coach: Chunking Information.  Retrieved on May 23rd, 2010 from: theelearningcoach.com/elearnig_design/chunking-information/

This refers to the thought process that goes into achieving a task. The word ‘cognition’ is ‘derived from “cogito” [which is] “to think” in Latin’ (Evans & Thomas, 2008)

The second is kinematic which is the ‘branch of mechanics concerned with motion’ (No Author, 2010), which means the amount of physical activity required for completion of a task.

‘The greater the effort to accomplish a task, the less likely it will be accomplished successfully (Lidwell, Holden & Butler, 2003).’ If a task demands too high a performance load, either cognitive of kinematic, the higher the probability that the task will not be completed (and vice versa).

When designing, one should consider reducing the amount of steps required to complete a task, eliminate unnecessary information and providing memory aids. ‘Problem solving, reasoning, or thinking, may affect users’ general satisfaction and performance (Schmutz, Heinz, Metrailler & Opwis, 2008)’ meaning users will be unlikely to complete a task, or in the case of a website design, they will simply click to another.

Consider the cognitive and kinematic loads when designing and reduce the load whenever possible.

End-Text Reference

Evans, P. & Thomas, M. (2008)  Exploring the Elements of Design. Delmar Cagage Learning.

Shraagen, J., Chipman, S. & Shalin, V. (2000) Cognitive Task Analysis. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., Publishers.

Schmutz, P., Heinz, S., Metrailler, Y. & Opwis, K. (2008) Cogntive Load in eCommerce Applications.  Retrieved on 21st May, 2010 from: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2009/121494.html

No Author (n.d.) Kinematics.  Retrieved on 21st May, 2010 from: wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Example 1 – Disabled Parking Signs

These are aesthetically, functionally and externally consistent.  The symbol is made up of a semi-circle with a figure of a body made out of lines, so that it looks like a person in a wheelchair. The symbol is usually blue and white as well as the lines around the parking bay, which people automatically associate with ‘disabled parking’.  This automatic association makes it functionally consistent. The automatic association is registered at a quick glance because of the colours and the simple aesthetic design of simple lines, without clutter.  The fact that this automatic association is in all carparks across Australia makes this design externally consistent.

Image 1: Disabled Parking

Example 2 – ECU Car Park

When you drive into Edith Cowan Universities carpark, each driver is categorised into student, staff or visitor and colour coded accordingly.  There are signs for the driver to quickly categorise themself. These signs are tall, bright and bold.  The font is large and easily readble from afar, with each different catagories sign a completely different colour to easily distiguish between them.  The design is aesthetically consistent, the only difference being the different colours for each category, which also make it functionally consistent; easy for the driver to navigate.  These signs are internally consistent, as they only apply within ECU’s carpark.  Curtin University also have their own system, exactly the same but the driver will have to adapt to a different colour code, making that same system internally consistent within Curtin’s carpark.

Image 2: ECU car park sign

Example 3 – Stop Sign

The octagon shaped, red and white symbol that without reading, drivers associate with ‘STOP!’  This symbol is aesthetically, functionally and externally consistent, outside the Australian road system as well.  The aesthetics come into it with the colour and shape, which people automatically associate with STOP, even by seeing it in the distant.  It is functionally consistent because of this meaning derived from it, simplifying usability.  Lastly, the ‘stop sign’ is externally consistent because it is not only used on the road, but rocognised as ‘STOP’ on computer warning messages and other systems as well.

Image 3: Stop Sign

End-Text Reference

[Image 1: Disabled Parking] [n.d.] Retrieved May 29th, 2010 from: http://www.teachnet.ie/ehallinan/Large%20signs/Disabled%20parking%202.jpg

[Image 2: ECU car park sign] Adie, M. (2010) Taken on May 29th, 2010.

[Image 3: Stop Sign] [n.d.] Retrieved May 29th, 2010 from: http://themoderatevoice.com/wordpress-engine/files/2008_july/Stop_Sign.jpg

No. This is because there has been a consistency in design with every object and appliance you use, making it ‘instantly recognisable [and] fully understandable’ (Horton, 1994). For example; we associate that little green light on appliances with ‘GO’ or ‘START’ and the red as ‘STOP’. ‘Consistency is a matter of dealing with the user’s current knowledge’ (Jarad Spool, 2005). By designing an object or a document, taking into account the user’s prior knowledge, the user can ‘predict what an icon will look like [and] users can get started quicker and master advanced functions’ (Horton, 1994).

Consistency helps users function and apply their prior knowledge to new objects and appliances, such as DVD players in which the same play, stop, start, rewind and fast forward symbols have been transferred over from the old VCR’s, making them functionally consistent.

There are four types of consistency: Aesthetic (style and appearance), Functional (consistency of meaning and action), Internal (within a system) and External (consistency with other elements in the environment) (Lidwell, Holden and Butler, 2003), all of which are important factors when designing.

Designers of all kinds use consistency, including fashion designers who may dress a model in a black evening gown with red shoes and perhaps give her a red clutch to hold as well, keeping it aesthetically consistent (Williams, 2004).

If you went driving everyday and the stop signs were all different colours and the lines on the road were wobbly instead of straight, you’d have a difficult time deriving meaning from each of these designs as a quick glance, which is why we need the consistency. ‘Design consistency refers to … conformance with [user] expectancy’ (No author, 1999).  Drivers expect stop signs to be red and the unbroken lines on the road to mean you cannot overtake, creating a welcomed order because of consistency.

People like to see consistency as it gives a sense of organisation, as though it has been carefully thought through and provides easier usability when users apply their previous knowledge of a design to other forms.

End-Text Reference

Robin Williams (2004) The Non-Designers Design Book. Berkeley, California: Peachpit Press

William Horton (1994) The Icon Book. United States of America: John Wiley & Sons, inc.

Jarad Spool (2005) Consistency in design is (part of) the right approach.  Retrieved on 12th May, 2010 from: http://wrede.interfacedesign.org/archives/1056.html

No Author (1999) Evaluation of Design Consistency Methods for Two Lane Rural Highways. Retrieved on 12th May, 2010 from: http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/ihsdm/pdfs/99-174.pdf