from CNet: about Gender Difference In Website Design & Preference
His and Her Web sites
Posted by Elinor Mills August 11, 2005 5:44 PM PDT
http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-5829452.html
It's long been known that men and women often have different tastes when it comes to entertainment and media, particularly magazines, television and movies. A recent study at a Welsh university shows that men and women also have distinct preferences in Web sites.
The Key Website Research Highlights on Gender Bias from the University of Glamorgan concludes that "men and women really are poles apart when it comes to what catches their eye on the Internet." For the study, researchers looked at personal Web sites created by 30 men and 30 women and found obvious differences in their use of language, visuals and navigation. Men tended to use straight lines rather than curves, fewer background and typeface colors and more formal typography and language with fewer abbreviations. Men also were more prone to "promote themselves and their abilities heavily," the study found.
A selection of those Web sites was then shown to a mixed gender group who were asked to rate the appeal of the sites. In nearly every case the women preferred the Web sites designed by women and men showed a clear preference for sites created by men, the study found.
I wonder what it means if I prefer humble Web sites with no lines, curves, colors or typeface?
Elinor Mills covers search and portal Web sites including Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL.
Very interesting. I had already attributed web design differences to cultural factors, but had not thought of this.
Additionally it is true that I have often wondered why, particularly with all the money some companies have spent, they put up websites that seemed designed to be overlooked. "Sleep inducing" is the kindest thing I could think to say about them and "mind numbingly boring" is a more accurate phrase. After reading the two articles, it seems to me that what I find to be tiresome on those websites, is what is described as the "Men's Style", but taken to the nth degree.
I do wonder what happens when you work with a mixed gender design team.
Edit Wow I guess Im not the only one who thought this was interesting. This AM I found it on CNN too: :
Study: Web site's appearance matters
CNN Thursday, August 11, 2005; Posted: 11:22 a.m. EDT (15:22 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/08/11/sites.women.men.ap/index.html
BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- It's no secret that men and women tend to spend their time on the Internet quite differently.
But British researchers suggest it's not just a Web site's subject or function that determines whether it will draw more men or women. The appearance of the site also might play a subtle role.
In a recent study at Glamorgan University Business School in Wales, test subjects rated the personal Web pages of 60 people for usability and aesthetics.
Not surprisingly, male subjects tended to assign higher ratings to pages designed by men, and females preferred sites made by women. But the researchers said they gleaned important tidbits by looking more closely at the ratings.
Women seemed to like pages with more color in the background and typeface. Women also favored informal rather than posed pictures.
Men responded better to dark colors and straight, horizontal lines across a page. They also were more pleased by a three-dimensional look and images of "self-propelling" rather than stationary objects.
With those standards in mind, the researchers checked out the Web sites for 32 British universities and determined that 94 percent had a "masculine orientation." Two percent showed a female-favored arrangement.
Gloria Moss, a Glamorgan research fellow, said the project should be instructive for organizations that aim for wide audiences. The research -- which was repeated in France and Poland to rule out British cultural bias -- is being published in European journals on consumer behavior and marketing.
So should Web sites consider having two faces, one for male users and another for female visitors? Moss said more research is needed.
"At the very least," she said, "we think there ought to be a combination of aesthetics."
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted by Elinor Mills August 11, 2005 5:44 PM PDT
http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-5829452.html
It's long been known that men and women often have different tastes when it comes to entertainment and media, particularly magazines, television and movies. A recent study at a Welsh university shows that men and women also have distinct preferences in Web sites.
The Key Website Research Highlights on Gender Bias from the University of Glamorgan concludes that "men and women really are poles apart when it comes to what catches their eye on the Internet." For the study, researchers looked at personal Web sites created by 30 men and 30 women and found obvious differences in their use of language, visuals and navigation. Men tended to use straight lines rather than curves, fewer background and typeface colors and more formal typography and language with fewer abbreviations. Men also were more prone to "promote themselves and their abilities heavily," the study found.
A selection of those Web sites was then shown to a mixed gender group who were asked to rate the appeal of the sites. In nearly every case the women preferred the Web sites designed by women and men showed a clear preference for sites created by men, the study found.
I wonder what it means if I prefer humble Web sites with no lines, curves, colors or typeface?
Elinor Mills covers search and portal Web sites including Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL.
Very interesting. I had already attributed web design differences to cultural factors, but had not thought of this.
Additionally it is true that I have often wondered why, particularly with all the money some companies have spent, they put up websites that seemed designed to be overlooked. "Sleep inducing" is the kindest thing I could think to say about them and "mind numbingly boring" is a more accurate phrase. After reading the two articles, it seems to me that what I find to be tiresome on those websites, is what is described as the "Men's Style", but taken to the nth degree.
I do wonder what happens when you work with a mixed gender design team.
Edit Wow I guess Im not the only one who thought this was interesting. This AM I found it on CNN too: :
Study: Web site's appearance matters
CNN Thursday, August 11, 2005; Posted: 11:22 a.m. EDT (15:22 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/08/11/sites.women.men.ap/index.html
BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- It's no secret that men and women tend to spend their time on the Internet quite differently.
But British researchers suggest it's not just a Web site's subject or function that determines whether it will draw more men or women. The appearance of the site also might play a subtle role.
In a recent study at Glamorgan University Business School in Wales, test subjects rated the personal Web pages of 60 people for usability and aesthetics.
Not surprisingly, male subjects tended to assign higher ratings to pages designed by men, and females preferred sites made by women. But the researchers said they gleaned important tidbits by looking more closely at the ratings.
Women seemed to like pages with more color in the background and typeface. Women also favored informal rather than posed pictures.
Men responded better to dark colors and straight, horizontal lines across a page. They also were more pleased by a three-dimensional look and images of "self-propelling" rather than stationary objects.
With those standards in mind, the researchers checked out the Web sites for 32 British universities and determined that 94 percent had a "masculine orientation." Two percent showed a female-favored arrangement.
Gloria Moss, a Glamorgan research fellow, said the project should be instructive for organizations that aim for wide audiences. The research -- which was repeated in France and Poland to rule out British cultural bias -- is being published in European journals on consumer behavior and marketing.
So should Web sites consider having two faces, one for male users and another for female visitors? Moss said more research is needed.
"At the very least," she said, "we think there ought to be a combination of aesthetics."
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.