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Abstract The report investigates computer generated (CG) lighting techniques with a focus on the rendering of interior architectural visualisations. With rapid advancements in CG technology, the demand and expectation for greater photorealism in visualisations are increasing. The tools to achieve this are widely available and fairly easy to apply; however, renderings on a local scale are still displaying functionality and lack visual appeal. The research discusses how design principles and aesthetics can be used effectively to create visual interest and display mood in the visualisation, with strong attention to the elements that are defined as the fundamentals in achieving photorealism. The focus is on a solid understanding of CG lighting techniques and principles in order to achieve high quality, dynamic visualisations. Case studies examine the work of lighting artist James Turrell and 3D artist Jose Pedro Costa and apply the findings to a creative project, encompassing the discussions in the report. The result is the completion of three photorealistic renderings of an interior visualisation, using different CG lighting techniques to convey mood. The research provides a platform for specialisation in the 3D environment and encourages a multidisciplinary approach to learning.

Usability is regarded as one of the most important factors that consumers consider while purchasing products, however it is difficult to judge usability unless the user actually uses the product. Perceived usability is influential for consumers when identifying a product as usable and purchasing it. This study concentrates on the relationship between visual appeal and perceived usability especially for consumer products. The influence of visual appeal on perceived usability for consumer products is scrutinized through the findings of an empirical study besides a broad literature review. In the literature, there are many studies -mostly dealing with the HCI products- claiming that visual appeal affects users&rsquo / perceptions of usability. However, the empirical study results indicate that the relationship between visual appeal and perceived usability is not clear for consumer products as the relationship declared in the literature.

The technical society we live in is in a constant state of advancement and we are continuallyintroduced to new innovative ways of mediating information through. Today, plenty of mediachannels exist, for organizations to use when they strive to reach larger groups of people, butto achieve web site success; researchers have stated that considerations of user preferencesimplemented in web design are crucial. This makes understanding and addressing whichcharacteristics will be valued from the moment a user enters a site something that isconsidered helpful to the web designer in order to maintain user traffic and create an interest.In other words, something to catch the user’s attention to create a good first impression is necessary. The constant state of advancement of technology prevailing today has resulted in even morecomplex websites and a countless number of design principles to apply when designing forthe web. In spite of this, usability and visual appeal have remained central in prior research.To test these theories, a study was conducted by using a qualitative method in form of anexperiment consisting of eye tracking and an open-ended questionnaire. To perform the eyetracking the researchers created two mock-ups representing the main page of two differentwebsites. Each mock-up was developed with considerations towards two different designapproaches, one striving to achieve visual appeal and the other towards usability, todetermine which one the participants preferred. The study contained 50 participants who performed the experiment and answered thequestionnaire. Results from the eye tracking were presented in gaze plots and heat maps andthe result from the questionnaire was presented and analyzed through coding by the researchers. Final findings showed that the website preferred by most participants were the one developedwith the usable design approach. Additionally, the discussion presented the findings andreaches a conclusion of the study which finds connections between the chosen designapproach of the webpage and the participant’s choice of preferred webpage.

Unappealing websites are rejected quickly upon visiting them, while visitors spend more time on visually appealing websites before judging its reliability; but to what extent can visual appeal alone carry the success of a website, and is it so powerful that good usability can be sacrificed? This paper studies the respective importance of visual appeal and usability in e-commerce as factors, in order to determine which factor plays the bigger role in generating trust and credibility for an e-commerce site, as credibility perception is highly correlated with its visual complexity. The relation between these two factors and the likelihood to make a purchase is also discussed. Two prototypes for a fictional consumer electronics e-commerce website were created: one with good design and flawed usability, and another with flawed design and good usability. These prototypes were shown to students aged 20-25 and asked which one they found more trustworthy and which they would rather make a purchase from. With the correlation between trust and purchase intention being apparent, the design of an e-commerce website for consumer electronics should focus mainly on the visual appeal. Usability seems to have some value, however it does not seem to be of the same importance as the visual appeal of the site in regards to generating trust, and consequently customers. The prototypes were constructed in Adobe XD, demonstrated with video recordings, and sent out in a survey to 70 students.

Yes / Online retailers are increasingly using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to solve mental and physical intangibility issues in a product evaluation. Moreover, the technologies are easily available and accessible to consumers via their smartphones. The authors conducted three experiments to examine consumer responses to technology interfaces (AR/VR and mobile apps) for hedonic and utilitarian products. The results show that AR is easier to use (vs. app), and users find AR more responsive when buying a hedonic (vs. utilitarian) product. Touch interface users are likely to have a more satisfying experience and greater recommendation intentions, as compared to AR, for buying utilitarian products. In contrast, a multisensory environment (AR) results in a better user experience for purchasing a hedonic product. Moreover, multisensory technologies lead to higher visual appeal, emotional appeal, and purchase intentions. The research contributes to the literature on computer-mediated interactions in a multisensory environment and proposes actionable recommendations to online marketers.