Effects of visual-preview and information-sidedness features on website persuasiveness

Abstract

Enhancing a website's persuasiveness and improving users' satisfaction and intention are critical for companies and website designers. Based on the Fogg Behavior Model (FBM), this study explores the perspective of persuasive technology in the context of a website. We identify and design two types of persuasive features: a visual-preview feature and an information-sidedness feature. We propose that websites with these persuasive features are perceived as more persuasive than their counterparts. We further propose that website persuasiveness is positively related to user satisfaction and behavior intention. Data collected from an experimental study lend support to our hypotheses. Theoretical contribution and managerial implications of this study are discussed.