The effects of website white space on middle-aged users

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore middle-aged users’ web browsing experience, including usability preference, aesthetics and perceived value. The experimental samples were a set of four web pages with 45% and 55% of white space and from narrow to wide spacing. Seventy-one participants aged between 30 and 60 years were recruited by purposeful sampling to conduct the operational evaluation. It was interesting to note that even though the samples were centered around 50% of white space as previous studies suggested, four questions revealed significant differences. They were: “I think that I would like to use this web page frequently,” “I find the web page unnecessarily complex,” “This web page is the one that I would feel relaxed upon reading,” “This web page would give its owner social approval.” The result also indicated that most participants preferred more white space, which could become a guideline for designers to follow.