Abstract

Parallax scrolling is becoming an increasingly popular strategy in web design. In addition to its ability to engage users with a website, advocates of the technique argue that it also improves the overall user experience. This study was therefore conducted to investigate whether parallax scrolling can support these claims.

Researchers have attributed a pleasurable user experience to the fulfillment of the following variables: usability, satisfaction, enjoyment, fun and visual appeal. The goal of this study was to establish whether or not parallax scrolling can influence these variables and subsequently the user experience.

Eighty six individuals were randomly selected and assigned to one of two experimental groups. Participants from each group completed three tasks on one of two websites, which were identical in all respects except for scrolling effects. While group 1 interacted with a website utilizing the parallax scrolling effect, group 2 saw a website not using the effect. All participants completed a survey after completing their tasks.

A Mann-Whitney test was performed to compare participants’ survey responses with respect to the five measured variables. However, it failed to return any significant differences between the groups, except for ‘fun’. The finding revealed that although parallax scrolling enhanced certain aspects of the user experience, it did not necessarily improve the overall user experience.

Keywords

website design, website aesthetics, usability, aesthetics, parallax scrolling, user experience, visual appeal, website novelty, website preference

Date of this Version

4-18-2013

Department

Computer Graphics Technology

Department Head

Marvin Sarapin

Month of Graduation

May

Degree

Master of Science

Head of Graduate Program

Marvin Sarapin

Advisor 1 or Chair of Committee

James Mohler

Committee Member 1

James Mohler

Committee Member 2

Mihaela Vorvoreanu

Committee Member 3

Ronald Glotzbach

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