Why would a tennis enthusiast choose to purchase a tennis racket at a particular website? If the designers of that website have tailored the user experience to appeal to tennis players, will that site generate more sales, or are tennis players and other subgroups of society unaffected by the visual appeal of a website?
How can a website attract the maximum number of customers? Obviously, a site that caters to tennis players may not be attractive to gymnasts, and yet, sporting good stores strive to reach members of groups that have little in common. A sporting goods website must have uniformity between pages while also intriguing interest in customers with different interests. This challenge calls for research to ascertain how best to achieve the goal of attracting the maximum number of customers, by choosing graphics that are group-specific and widely eye-catching.
With these questions in mind, I have chosen to research the effects of graphics on various users. Previous research has already conducted studies on age-based groups (elementary, middle school, and senior citizens), as well as ethnic groups (Japan and Canada). Obviously, the possibilities are limitless, but research will probably test groups that are targeted by particular websites.
The outline below describes my research proposal project.

1. Hello Kitty, a Japanese character, became such a popular image that entire stores were dedicated to the sale of merchandise bearing her image. In contrast, have you ever heard of Jip and Janneke? Why does one drawing become an international sensation, while another remains in relative obscurity?
   1. Some research has already  been completed
      1. Study of teen girl’s website preferences
      2. Research on websites for elementary children
   2. Most studies focus on web design, and more research is required to analyze the effects of graphics.
   3. With the astronomical growth of online communication and commerce, designing a website that stands out among competitors will be essential to the survival of businesses and organizations.
   4. I propose applying a mixed methodology to determine the appeal of web design and graphics and their effect to reduce the lack of already reported research
2. Numerous studies indicate that various groups disagree about the desirability of various aspects of web design and that what some find attractive, others find unattractive.
   1. sources
      1. Cultural adaptation of web design services as a critical success factor for business excellence
      2. The persuasive power of design elements on an E-commerce site

• Aesthetics and the online shopping environment: Understanding consumer responses

1. Development of a web-based resource for parents of young children newly diagnosed with autism: Participatory research design. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting
2. Other reports

1. While many studies focus on the deficiencies of health care websites and the importance of effective design, I want to center specifically on aspects of a website that attract users, increase interest, and motivate commitment.
2. My project includes two phases.
   1. The first involves a survey created for internet and mobile device users. Including some gamification to increase completion rates, users will select one image from a set of three. Detailed information about each user will enable the categorization of responses. Participants will complete fifty image choices. Hopefully, participants will refer friends and family to the survey to increase the amount of data.
   2. The second phase requires the participation of twenty commercial websites. Ten sites will allow changes based on data collected from the survey. The researchers will analyze each site before and after the project and compare it with prior years’ data to determine changes based on viewership, numbers of clicks, sales figures, and time spent on the page.
3. Methodology
   1. The research will begin with friends, family members, and casual contacts. Initially, most participants will be Americans. Over time, the reach of the survey may extend to include groups from all nations with unrestricted internet access, from all age groups, and many special interest groups.
   2. In order to maximize participation, non-probability sampling is the method of choice. Participants will be encouraged to send the link to the survey to all their contacts. By titling the survey with the word ‘challenge’, participation may increase further. By emphasizing that there are ‘no wrong answers’, timid people will be less hesitant to add to the data.
   3. Detailed information will be collected from each participant. This data will include age, geographic location, ethnicity, leisure activities, gender, and other information. Images included in the survey will vary by color, simplicity, curved or angled lines, etc. After completing the experiment, commercial website analysis will consider sales figures and user satisfaction based on time spent on the website, and commitment.
   4. Methods of measurement
      1. Because participants report their own demographic information, validity is slightly compromised. Some participants will input false information, but the vast majority will report accurately as there is no incentive for lying. Some participants may participate more than once, which may also slightly change results.
      2. The survey will have fifty different questions for the participants to complete. This will ensure that the method of determining which aspects of graphics a certain demographic prefers will be consistent. If only one or two questions focus on a certain aspect of the graphics, then the results will not definitively show whether or not that demographic prefers that style of graphic.
   5. Visual data analysis will enable the researcher to summarize the significance of enormous quantities of data.
4. Discussion
   1. Because even a slight change in a graphic can produce very different reactions, (consider changes to Bob the Tomato between 2000 and 2021), simplifying differences between graphics must be reduced to easily recognizable features.
      1. This study is valuable because it focuses on measurable qualities: number of colors, angular vs rounded lines, simple vs. complex, etc.
      2. The weakness of this study lies in the limitations. Because only fifty questions comprise the survey, participants may choose a graphic because they find the facial expression pleasing, and their choice may not be affected by the variables being tested.
   2. A later study may focus on facial expressions, offering a multitude of graphics, which differ only in expression. Another possibility may consider which users prefer graphics they perceive as active, or if such graphics prompt users to action.
   3. The challenges of this project lie in the promotion of the survey, the collection of the data, and the analysis of mountains of information. The value of this project may be incalculable for all websites and may raise the bar for website quality expectations.