The negative impact of saturation on website trustworthiness and appeal: A temporal model of aesthetic website perception

Previous research on the perception of websites has shown that users' impressions of websites generated in ultra-rapid display durations (50 ms) correlate with their assessment after longer display durations. Based on the importance of color saturation in the design of websites, we present a 2 ✕ 3 ✕10 study design in which participants either assessed highly saturated or desaturated versions (between-subjects) of 50 websites coming from 10 content domains. All websites were presented three times to each participant in varying durations (50 ms, 500 ms, and 10 s), and each site was rated regarding its trustworthiness, visual appeal, and perceived usability. In contrast to a large body of research describing positive effects of higher saturated colors, our results show that these findings cannot be generalized to website perception, as we found negative effects of saturation depending on the content domain. Furthermore, we propose a temporal model of website perception based on the results in which users first evaluate the visual appeal of a website, followed by a continuous re-assessment of apparent usability, and lastly its trustworthiness. The results have broad implications for the design and presentation of information using digital media. •Participant assessed saturated or desaturated versions of 50 websites (10 content domains).•Websites were displayed for 50 ms, 500 ms, and 10 s.•We found negative effects of high saturation depending on the content domain.•Temporal model of website perception: First visual appeal, usability continuously, lastly trustworthiness.•Broad implications for the design and presentation of information using digital media.