The Impact of Purpose for Web Use on User Preferences for Web Design Features

A web site that appeals to all audiences is the “holy grail” of developers, but is not likely to be found. Therefore, organisations must decide what groups of users they want to target and gain a thorough knowledge of their needs and preferences. In this pilot study, we grouped users according to their purpose for using the Web and examined their preferences for web design features. We found that a user’s preference for web design features changed according to the user’s purposes for using the web. People using the web for entertainment valued enjoyability, accessibility and content quality most highly. People using the web for information acquisition ranked content quality, accessibility, and navigation and structure in the top three places.