過去網站設計相關研究大多強調網站介面設計、導覽設計或消費者使用之易 用性…等，較少研究關注於視覺設計對消費者態度之影響，但學者Gitte, Gary, Cathy & Brown(2006)研究發現，一般瀏覽者在接觸到網頁的0.05 秒內就已經對 於網頁設計的好惡下了決定其實，因此，留住消費者網站的第一印象非常重要。 Holter(2006)認為以動畫組成的片頭首頁(Splash page)就好像是網站的封面，不但 能呈現出網站整體之基本元素與風格，還能表現出網站整體之策略，更是表現企 業創意的最佳所在。因此，本研究主要是探討網站設計中片頭首頁(Splash pages) 之有無、生動性程度與時間長短對消費者態度之影響。 本研究採用實驗法，以2x2x2(實驗組)+1x2(控制組)之多因子設計，主要的 自變項為「片頭首頁有無(有vs.無)」、「片頭首頁生動性(高vs.低)」和「片頭首 頁時間(10 秒vs.20 秒)」；依變項是「消費者態度」，其中又分為「片頭首頁態度 度」、「網站態度」和「品牌態度」；調節變項是「網路使用目的(目標導向vs.經 驗導向」。研究結果發現： 1. 片頭首頁之有無，不會影響消費者對網站及品牌態度之偏好。 2. 片頭首頁生動性高低，不會影響消費者對片頭首頁、網站及品牌態度之偏好。 3. 片頭首頁時間長短，不會影響消費者對片頭首頁、網站及品牌態度之偏好。 4. 消費者網路使用目的之差異，不會影響消費者對片頭首頁、網站及品牌態度 之偏好。 5. 片頭首頁生動性與時間長短之間具有交互效果：當消費者在瀏覽高生動片頭 首頁時，10 秒片頭首頁比20 秒片頭首頁會有較高的品牌態度偏好。

Η παρούσα διατριβή πραγματεύεται το πρόβλημα της αποτελεσματικής σχεδίασης ιστοτόπων που υποστηρίζουν την εύχρηστη διαδραστική αναζήτηση. Με τον όρο διαδραστική αναζήτηση περιγράφεται η διερευνητική αλληλεπίδραση ενός χρήστη με έναν ιστότοπο, με στόχο την εύρεση πληροφορίας στο πλαίσιο μίας εργασίας του, χωρίς τη χρήση διαδικτυακών μηχανών αναζήτησης. Η διατριβή εντάσσεται στην περιοχή της ευχρηστίας του Διαδικτύου και γενικότερα της μελέτης αλληλεπίδρασης ανθρώπου-υπολογιστή και ειδικότερα αλληλεπίδρασης χρηστών με πληροφορία. Ένας ιστότοπος είναι συχνά, όχι μόνο μια εφαρμογή με την οποία αλληλεπιδρά ο χρήστης αλλά και ένας πληροφοριακός χώρος, του οποίου η κατάλληλη δόμηση και διασύνδεση του περιεχομένου επηρεάζουν σε μεγάλο βαθμό την ευχρηστία του. Συνεπώς, η ανάπτυξη μεθοδολογιών για τον επιτυχή σχεδιασμό της πληροφοριακής αρχιτεκτονικής (information architecture) ενός ιστοτόπου παραμένει μία σημαντική σχεδιαστική πρόκληση. Η διατριβή προτείνει μία νέα μεθοδολογία σχεδιασμού και αξιολόγησης της πληροφοριακής αρχιτεκτονικής ιστοτόπων, τη MEDIAMIS (Methodology for the Efficient Design of Information Architectures based on Models of Interactive Search). Η συνεισφορά της έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι βελτιστοποιεί και συστηματοποιεί τη διαδικασία σχεδιασμού ή αξιολόγησης. Η MEDIAMIS είναι εμπνευσμένη από εδραιωμένες χρηστοκεντρικές τεχνικές και πρόσφατα μοντέλα της συμπεριφοράς των ανθρώπων κατά τη διαδραστική αναζήτηση. Η μεθοδολογία απευθύνεται σε μηχανικούς του Διαδικτύου και αποσκοπεί στη δημιουργία ιστοτόπων που υποστηρίζουν την εύχρηστη διαδραστική αναζήτηση από τους χρήστες τους. Προκειμένου να υποστηριχθεί η MEDIAMIS αναπτύχθηκαν δύο πρωτότυπα εργαλεία, το AutoCardSorter (Automated Card Sorting Tool) και το ISEtool (InfoScent Evaluator Tool). Το πρώτο υποστηρίζει τη διαδικασία δόμησης του περιεχομένου ενός ιστοτόπου, ενώ το δεύτερο τη δημιουργία σημασιολογικά κατάλληλων λεκτικών περιγραφών για τους υπερσυνδέσμους ενός ιστοτόπου. Τέλος, στο πλαίσιο της διατριβής, εξετάζεται η εγκυρότητα και αποδοτικότητα της MEDIAMIS και των υποστηρικτικών εργαλείων, μέσα από έξι πειραματικές μελέτες. Στις μελέτες αυτές συγκρίθηκαν εκτενώς τα αποτελέσματα της προτεινόμενης προσέγγισης με αυτά καθιερωμένων χρηστοκεντρικών τεχνικών και μετρικών της παρατηρούμενης συμπεριφοράς των χρηστών. Τα συμπεράσματα των μελετών έδειξαν ότι η MEDIAMIS παράγει αποτελέσματα εφάμιλλης ποιότητας με εδραιωμένες χρηστοκεντρικές τεχνικές, αλλά με σημαντικά αποδοτικότερο τρόπο. / This thesis addresses the problem of effective design of websites that enhance findability of information during interactive search. The term interactive search is used to describe the exploratory, goal−directed browsing activity of a user, while seeking information in a website. Seeking information using a search engine is not an object of study in this thesis. The thesis falls into the field of human computer interaction, and the subfields of Web usability and human information interaction. A website should be treated both as a user interface as well as a hypertext information space, whose structural design has a significant influence on intuitive access to content, task completion and overall user experience. In today’s information explosion, one of the biggest challenges in web design is the effective design of its information architecture. The latter constitutes the research objective of this thesis. The thesis proposes a new methodology to design and evaluate the information architecture of websites, the MEDIAMIS (Methodology for the Efficient Design of Information Architectures based on Models of Interactive Search). The contribution of the proposed approach is that is optimizes and systemizes the information architecture design or evaluation process. MEDIAMIS is inspired by established user-centered techniques and recent cognitive models of user’s interactive search behavior. MEDIAMIS is addressed to Web practitioners and deals with the design or evaluation of a website’s information structure and labeling system. In the context of the proposed methodology, two innovative tools have been developed. The first tool, AutoCardSorter (Automated Card Sorting Tool), supports the structural design of a website. The second tool, ISEtool (InfoScent Evaluator Tool), facilitates the production of semantically appropriate hyperlink labels for the typical goals of a website. The applicability of the proposed methodology and the effectiveness and efficiency of the associated tools were examined through six experimental studies. These studies compared both quantitavely and qualitatively the results of the proposed methodology against the ones derived from established user-centered design approaches, such as card sorting, and against observed and subjective user data. It was found that the proposed methodology lead to a substantial efficiency gain, without expense in the quality of results.

Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / The survival of an organisation in a global competitive business environment depends on its survival skills (e.g. adaptability, flexibility and innovativeness), which is situated within its human resources. Hence, the recruitment function’s role is critical, since it is responsible for the procurement of key intellectual capital that could equip the organisation with a competitive advantage. However, against the accelerated growth of the Internet combined with global competition, traditional recruitment methods are increasingly failing to rise to the challenge of securing key intellectual capital, due to being too time consuming and expensive. Consequently, organisations are progressively turning to online recruitment (which does not refer to one specific technique, but rather several different Internet tools that can be employed as a recruitment method, such as organisational websites, specialised job sites, media websites or newsgroups). However, the presence of an organisational website that advertises vacancies is not sufficient to guarantee its success as a recruitment method. Hence, it is vital to gain an understanding of website recruitment, as well as how to maximise the website’s effectiveness and ability to facilitate successful online applicant behaviour (SOAB), in order to harness its full potential as a recruitment method, able to secure key intellectual capital. For the purpose of this study, SOAB refers to potential applicants (i.e. job seekers entering an organisational website in search of employment opportunities) being able to browse the website without any difficulty and obtain relevant and sufficient information concerning the organisation and its listed vacancies. In addition to enabling potential applicants to assess whether he/she will be able to fit, perform and accelerate in the work climate and culture of the organisation (i.e. decide whether he/she would like to work for the organisation), a website that facilitates SOAB, should also enable potential applicants to contact the organisation to address additional information needs. In essence, this study comprises of three phases and centres on the identification of website content- and usability design benchmarks that should contribute to a website’s ability to facilitate SOAB. By means of a comprehensive literature review, it is argued that the content- and usability design are vital contributing factors to a website’s ability to facilitate SOAB. It is also proposed that the effectiveness of the website as a recruitment method is, to a certain degree, linked to the effectiveness of the alignment of an organisation’s online recruitment strategy with the five stages of potential applicants’ job decision-making process (i.e. the recognition of an employment need, search for career related information, evaluation of career alternatives, identification and acceptance of employment and post-choice evaluation). Phase one, entails the identification of website content- and usability design benchmarks and culminates with the development of the Website Benchmarks Checklist. Phase two, which constitutes the overall purpose of this study, entails an audit of the sample of the ‘best’ SA employers’ (drawn from a survey conducted by the Corporate Research Foundation, 2005) websites. The primary aim is to determine the extent to which the sample’s website design incorporates the identified benchmarks. However, the quality of potential applicants’ interaction with a website (i.e. informative content being communicated in an effective, efficient and satisfactory manner), greatly influences their perception of the organisation’s image, its attractiveness as an employer, as well as their intention to pursue employment within the organisation. Hence, the third phase of the study entails the subjective evaluation of three websites (selected from the audited sample), by a sample of potential applicants. Throughout the study, the empirical tests conducted were descriptive in nature and utilised survey research methods to acquire the required data, related to the specified goals and objectives that encapsulate the aim and purpose of this study. The results obtained provided valuable insight into website design benchmarks that should assist potential applicants in their job decision-making process, increase a website’s ability to facilitate SOAB and maximise its effectiveness as a recruitment method responsible for securing key intellectual capital. In addition to revealing that the majority of the sample employs its website as a recruitment method, the audit results also indicated that although a high level of adherence existed concerning the sample’s incorporation of the usability design benchmarks. However, a notable difference that ranged from very little to relatively high existed with regards to the extent to which the sample’s website design adhered to the content design benchmarks. The subjective evaluation of the three websites by potential applicants revealed that in addition to being critical contributors to the quality of their interaction with a website, the content- and usability design also had a profound impact on their assessment of the websites. Finally, the results also showed that a similarity existed between potential applicants’ subjective evaluation and the extent to which the design of the three websites adhered to the recommended benchmarks (audit results).