Communications of the ACM
Best Websites Balance Self-Expression and Functionality
Penn professor S. Shyam Sundar
Credit: Penn State University
Penn State University researchers have found that providing users with a certain amount of freedom to express themselves could help designers develop more interactive Web portals and online communities.
The researchers found that users increased their interactivity and developed a more robust community when they could write their own blog posts, change the look of the site, and add gadgets to personalized sites. "We need to strategically use interactive tools to help people interact in ways that are beneficial to both the users and site owners," says professor S. Shyam Sundar.
However, the researchers also found that offering too many choices could frustrate or fatigue users. "Users feel overwhelmed when a site offers a lot of gadgets or tools and they seem fatigued by making too many decisions; but we can counter all this by providing them a chance to express themselves," Sundar says.
The researchers designed 12 distinct variations of sites that either offered or did not offer users a chance to tailor the look of the site, to add gadgets and applications, and write original blog posts. The version that performed the best gave users a chance to write blog posts and allowed them to change the sites' look.
From Penn State Live
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