https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2568-2517
![Sample our Computer Science journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5928/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Computer-Science.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
We investigated the impact of color salience and location of a website link on users’ performance, affective experiences and approach-avoidance tendencies with 10 mock mobile Web directories. Task completion times were recorded by a computer program, and users’ affective experiences and approach-avoidance responses were reported in questionnaires. Results implied that visual attention in the display area on a mobile Web directory is directed by a combination of bottom-up and top-down processes, which is different from the primarily top-down process implicated in a similar study of PC Web directories. A salient color of the website link helped attract users’ attention and increase users’ sense of control over the process. Also, users are likely to search webpages from top left to bottom right. Our findings suggest that a target website link placed in the top left corner or displayed in a distinct color in the center area not only attracts users’ attention but also results in a more highly rated affective experience. Color of the target website link can be changed to increase users’ sense of control of a Web directory and approach behaviors.
Acknowledgments
We thank all the participants for carrying out the experiments. In addition, we thank undergraduate students Weizhe Lai, Linfeng Qiu, Pingping Pei and Junjie Wu for helping us to conduct our experiments. Further, we thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and advice.
Notes
1. https://www.sohu.com/a/308546911401886
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Yaqin Cao
Yaqin Cao is an associate professor from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China. Now she is working as a visiting scholar of School of Industrial Engineering in Purdue University. Her research interests include emotional design, user experience design, and human—computer interaction.
Robert W. Proctor
Robert W. Proctor is a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University and Fellow of Purdue’s Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1975.
Yi Ding
Yi Ding is an associate professor from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China. Now he is working as a visiting scholar of School of Industrial Engineering in Purdue University. His interest and expertise are mental workload, user experience and neuroergonomics in human factors.
Vincent G. Duffy
Vincent G. Duffy is a professor from the School of Industrial Engineering in Purdue University. He was the chair for conferences on Digital Human Modelling (Part of HCI International) since 2007. His research interests include digital human modeling, safety engineering, work methods and measurement and ergonomics.
Yun Zhang
Yun Zhang is a postgraduate student in Anhui Polytechnic University. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Nanjing Tech University in 2018. His Research interests include Kansei engineering and human—robot interaction.
Xuefeng Zhang
Xuefeng Zhang is an associate professor from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Anhui Polytechnic University. He has a Ph.D. degree in Industrial Engineering from the Chongqing University. His main areas of interest and expertise are crowdsourcing, cognitive ergonomics and interaction with innovative products and information systems