Abstract
Abstract
Despite the crucial role that a website navigation bar can play in affecting consumer behavior, there has been a lack of theory-driven studies to investigate how to most effectively design navigation bars. Grounded in cognitive fit theory and visual attention theory, this study investigates how the effects of navigation bar design and content can influence visual processing of an unfamiliar online retailer’s website. A total of 40 subjects participated in a controlled experiment in which we gathered eye-tracking data. We find that navigation bar placement strongly affects how quickly participants locate the navigation bar: an unexpected placement more than doubled the time to first fixation. We also find preliminary evidence that low-fit navigation bar content draws participants' attention toward other areas of the site. Implications for retailers and designers are discussed.
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