The Interactive Effects of Website Delay, Breadth, and Familiarity - UK Passes Japan in Broadband Penetration - Optimization Week of November 29, 2006
Optimization Week Issue #72, November 29, 2006
In this issue we've got two new articles for you, and news of a new upcoming book on information foraging. First up, we summarize a recent study on the synergistic effects of website delay, familiarity, and breadth on user performance and psychology. The authors found a significant three-way interaction between the factors that affects how we perceive websites, as well as ways to mitigate the ill effects of website delay. We sum up the article complete with key figures, and interview the lead author, Dennis Galletta. Next in this month's Bandwidth Report the UK has passes the US and Japan in broadband penetration. Finally, while writing up our information scent article, we noticed a new book by Peter Pirolli dubbed "Information Foraging Theory: Adaptive Interaction with Information."
- The Interactive Effects of Website Delay, Breadth, and Familiarity
- A recent study examined whether website delay, breadth, and familiarity have interactive effects on user psychology and performance. A significant three-way interaction among all three factors showed that the ill effects of delay can be dampened by familiarity and breadth. Developers are urged to consider site familiarity, breadth, and delay together rather than separately.
- UK Passes Japan in Broadband Penetration - US Broadband Penetration Slows to 76.6% Among Active Internet Users
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The UK passed Japan and the US in broadband penetration during the first quarter of 2006. The UK's faster growth rate propelled it to second place in the G7, behind first place Canada. US broadband penetration grew only 0.27% among active Internet users to 76.6% in October 2006.
