Consistency one-to-many: an analysis of cross- platform visual consistency in the most accessed global sites

摘要

Users are accessing the same content on multiple platforms. From a user-centric perspective, these different platforms impose different constraints to web designers, namely visually, since the graphic elements of the interfaces need to be adapted and reconfigured to multiple contexts and screen sizes. In this context, visual consistency emerges as a relevant issue because of its impact on user experience across desktop and mobile screens. This study examines visual consistency on the world's most accessed 15 websites, in their smartphone and desktop versions. Our findings suggest that users perceive different levels of cross-platform visual consistency. There are visual elements, like image texture in logos, icons and photographs, where standards and conventions clearly emerge. But when we examined elements like image size, results indicate less perceived visual consistency.