Centrality of visual aesthetics in the online context: An assessment and empirical evidence

Abstract

This research investigates individual differences in the centrality of visual aesthetics (CVA) in the online context. The study examines the influence of CVA on online user responses, namely perception of website visual appeal, trust, and intention to use websites. A series of three experiments provide evidence that CVA influence user responses, especially when users' CVA is assessed by the indirect measure developed in this study. The results indicate that the impact of CVA on user responses is stronger among users with high CVA than those with low CVA, and especially when the users are exposed to website with relatively low visual appeal. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.