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Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by B.J. Fogg

Morgan Kaufmann, 2003

Captology is a word coined by Professor Fogg. It means "computers as persuasive technologies." The book is attracting a lot of attention, as well it should. With chapters entitled "Persuasion and the Digital Age," "Computers as Persuasive Tools," and "Credibility and the World Wide Web," to name just a few, this book is looking at the social and persuasive ways in which computers affect us. Based on Fogg's studies at Stanford University's Persuasive Technology Lab, the book presents thought-provoking evidence of the ways in which we bond with our computers or don't, based on the psychological connection we feel through the personality projected by the computer. A "must read" and very readable!

Web Accessibility: Designing Your Web Site for the Visually Impaired

Ever since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, accessibility of the products we design has become an increasingly important issue, made more so by the widening use of the Web and further legislation, such as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Guy Ball provides a brief introduction to the topic in his article published in Hyperviews (first quarter 2002) and available from the STC website at

http://www.stcsig.org/oi/hyperviews/archive/02Winter/021f2.htm

Although the article is brief, it ends with a list of tips for designing accessible websites and a list of websites for additional information, including IBM and Microsoft Accessibility Centers and the home page of the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3W).

How Long Will Users Wait to Download Pages?

Early research from the 80s recommended that the computer should respond to users within 2 seconds. The Web mantra has been the 8-second rule, based on the added load time required for Web pages as compared to software response.

Recent studies, however, are suggesting that users have different ìwait expectationsî based on their need for the information,  the complexity of the information (as perceived by users), and the context of use. One study reported at CHI (Computer-Human Interaction) 2000 (Bouch, Kuchinsky, and Bhatti) confirmed that users rated as average a delay of 6 to 10 seconds for pages to fully load with any page taking more than 10 seconds as a poor response time. However, in another study, in which Web pages loaded incrementally with the banner first, text next, and graphics last, users were more tolerant of delays in pages fully loading. Good ratings were given to pages that took up to 39 seconds to load.

Perceptions about the quality of a Web site seem to be tied to download time, as well. A 1998 study (Ramsay, Barbesi, and Preece) reported that sites taking more than 41 seconds to download were rated as less interesting and the products sold on the site were thought to be of inferior quality with purchasing information being less secure.

Other studies have shown that users are more tolerant when they think the computer is performing a more complex task. As users spend more time interacting on a Web site, they become less and less tolerant of delays.

(Findings reported in HFI UI Design newsletter, April 2001)

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