Perceived Versus Actual Complexity for Websites: Their Relationship to Consumer Satisfaction

Abstract

This article aims to further the understanding of how visual and decision-making complexities in websites impact the subjective experiences individuals have as they traverse them. More specifically, we attempt to understand subtle yet important differences in how consumers perceive complexity of a website and how that perception then impacts their satisfaction and liking of that website across two different types of products, hedonic and utilitarian. The most important contribution of this article is the idea that complexity per se is not simply a perceptual phenomenon but is also governed by situational and contextual factors. In essence, the subjective outcomes of satisfaction and liking that individuals experience as a result of variations in degrees of complexity of websites, though difficult to predict, can be managed with careful target marketing.