Power of the Swipe: Why Mobile Websites Should Add Horizontal Swiping to Tapping, Clicking, and Scrolling Interaction Techniques

Abstract

Horizontal swiping has become a common interaction technique on smartphones, yet many mobile websites do not incorporate this functionality, instead requiring users to scroll down or click on buttons, arrow keys, and other hotspots. This is perhaps because user studies comparing swiping with other interaction techniques are scarce. An experiment was conducted (N = 252) to inform this issue by investigating whether and how adding the swiping functionality to a tap-only mobile website influences users’ intentions to use the website. The data revealed that the addition of swiping technique positively affected behavioral intentions to use the website. Perceived enjoyment was a key variable that explained this effect. These findings have design implications for mobile websites.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) via standard grant number IIS-0916944.

Notes on contributors

Xue Dou

Xue Dou (PhD, Pennsylvania State University), formerly at Keio University, is an associate professor in the College of Comprehensive Psychology at Ritumeikan University, formerly at Keio University, Japan. Her research pertains to design of online media for strategic communication. Her studies also investigate psychological effects of online media, as they affect user experience and behaviors.

S. Shyam Sundar

S. Shyam Sundar (PhD, Stanford University) is a distinguished professor and founding director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory (http://comm.psu.edu/research/centers/medialab) in the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University. His research investigates social–psychological effects of technological features such as modality, interactivity, and navigability in digital media interfaces (http://comm.psu.edu/people/individual/s.-shyam-sundar).