Page 23 - final flipbook

2002), and there are no clear guidelines that individuals can follow when designing
websites to increase engagement.

This review sought to address that question by identifying and consolidating
the key website design elements that influence user engagement according to prior

research studies. This review aimed to determine the website design elements that are
most commonly shown or suggested to increase user engagement. Based on these

findings, we listed and defined a short list of website design elements that best

facilitate and predict user engagement. The work is thus an exploratory research
providing definitions for these elements of website design and a starting point for

future research to reference.

(Renee Garett ,ElevateU, Los Angeles,
CA, USA)

2.9.2 Design Trends

A question that has received remarkably little empirical attention is whether
colour trends reflect the prevailing sociocultural lifestyle conditions of a society. This

is exemplified by such assertions as “the austerity of the War years was accompanied
by sombre colours.” The presumed existence of order to colour consumption and a

causal association between it and sociocultural lifestyle conditions provides the

theoretical underpinnings to the work of colour forecasting agencies.

The present study investigated this question by examining changes in Australian
residential interior colours over the twentieth century. Colour palettes were assembled

decade by decade and an analysis was undertaken using the NCS system. The results

indicate that the main variation during the century was in the hue dimension.

However, variation in each of the NCS colour dimensions was greater in the
second half of the century. No evidence was found to support the notion of colour

cycles or any tangible order to colour consumption. Although some colour palettes
could be partially accounted for by developments in colour/materials technology, such

influences were short-lived. The picture that emerges does not support the notion that

future colour trends can be predicted on the basis of past colour trends.
23