“This Browser is Lightning Fast”: The Effects of Message Content on Perceived Performance
With technical performance being similar for various web browsers, improving user perceived performance is integral to optimizing browser quality. We investigated the importance of priming, which has a well-documented ability to affect people’s beliefs, on users’ perceptions of web browser performance.
tl;dr
• We studied 1495 participants who read either an article about performance improvements to Mozilla Firefox, an article about interface updates to Firefox, or an article about self-driving cars, and then watched video clips of browser tasks
• Reading articles about Firefox increased participants’ perceived performance of Firefox over the most widely used web browser, Google Chrome
• The article about performance improvements led to higher performance ratings than the article about UI updates
• Perceived performance can be improved without making technical improvements, and designers and developers must consider a wider picture when trying to improve user attitudes about technology
My Role
• Collaborated with Data Science and UX Research to scope and refine the research question
• Designed and conducted online survey (N=1495)
• Wrote paper summarizing findings
Press Coverage
If you show people articles saying that Firefox is faster than Chrome, they'll believe it
The Register
Is Firefox faster than Chrome? Study finds people will think it is if articles say so
PC Gamer
Methodology
We used a between-subjects design and manipulated the article content (Self-Driving Cars, Firefox UI, Firefox Performance) and article source (USA Today, The Verge). Each participant experienced one of the six combinations of article content and source. A breakdown of our design and the number of participants in each branch can be seen in the table below.
Demographic screening criteria based on Pew’s omnibus Internet survey were used to ensure a diverse, demographically representative sample of United States Internet users.
Participants answered questions about technological experience and behavior before reading one of the three articles from one of the two sources and rating its credibility.
Main Findings
Google Chrome is deemed fastest by default.
• Expected given Google’s prevalence in the advertising sector, coverage in the mainstream media and its primary marketing message that Chrome is “a faster browser”
• Engaging with the media to present software as high-performing is an important step in influencing users’ perceptions of that browser
• Priming users about software’s performance is an integral piece of overall perceived performance that must be considered by developers, and it also presents a potential opportunity for smaller companies to compete with large companies that have an established brand
Recommendations
In demonstrating that reading priming messages about Mozilla Firefox can improve users’ perceived performance of Firefox over Google Chrome, we demonstrate a potential opportunity for smaller companies to compete against large companies with an established brand
Particular curated content is more effective than general agenda setting, as the message regarding performance improvements resulted in more endorsement of Firefox as faster than the message about UI updates
Designers and developers must consider the presentation of their software in the media when trying to improve perceived performance