The author systematically examines one of the important issues of information — establishing the market price. He introduces the concept of «search» — where a buyer wanting to get a better price, is forced to question sellers. The article deals with various aspects of finding the necessary information.

Economics of Information

To build systems shielding users from fraudulent (or phishing) websites, designers need to know which attack strategies work and why. This paper provides the first empirical evidence about which malicious strategies are successful at deceiving general users. We first analyzed a large set of captured phishing attacks and developed a set of hypotheses about why these strategies might work. We then assessed these hypotheses with a usability study in which 22 participants were shown 20 web sites and asked to determine which ones were fraudulent. We found that 23% of the participants did not look at browser-based cues such as the address bar, status bar and the security indicators, leading to incorrect choices 40% of the time. We also found that some visual deception attacks can fool even the most sophisticated users. These results illustrate that standard security indicators are not effective for a substantial fraction of users, and suggest that alternative approaches are needed.

Why phishing works

The tremendous amount of information available online has resulted in considerable research on information and source credibility. The vast majority of scholars, however, assume that individuals work in isolation to form credibility opinions and that people must assess information credibility in an effortful and time-consuming manner. Focus group data from 109 participants were used to examine these assumptions. Results show that most users rely on others to make credibility assessments, often through the use of group-based tools. Results also indicate that rather than systematically processing information, participants routinely invoked cognitive heuristics to evaluate the credibility of information and sources online. These findings are leveraged to suggest a number of avenues for further credibility theorizing, research, and practice.

Social and Heuristic Approaches to Credibility Evaluation Online

The authors investigate the impact of Web site design investments on consumers' trusting beliefs and online purchase intentions. Such investments signal the component of trusting beliefs that is most strongly related to online purchase intentions: ability. These effects were strongest when consumers' goals were to search rather than to browse and when purchases involved risk.

Converting Web Site Visitors into Buyers: How Web Site Investment Increases Consumer Trusting Beliefs and Online Purchase Intentions

The effectiveness of and adherence to eHealth interventions is enhanced by human support. However, human support has largely not been manualized and has usually not been guided by clear models. The objective of this paper is to develop a clear theoretical model, based on relevant empirical literature, that can guide research into human support components of eHealth interventions. A review of the literature revealed little relevant information from clinical sciences. Applicable literature was drawn primarily from organizational psychology, motivation theory, and computer-mediated communication (CMC) research. We have developed a model, referred to as “Supportive Accountability.” We argue that human support increases adherence through accountability to a coach who is seen as trustworthy, benevolent, and having expertise. Accountability should involve clear, process-oriented expectations that the patient is involved in determining. Reciprocity in the relationship, through which the patient derives clear benefits, should be explicit. The effect of accountability may be moderated by patient motivation. The more intrinsically motivated patients are, the less support they likely require. The process of support is also mediated by the communications medium (eg, telephone, instant messaging, email). Different communications media each have their own potential benefits and disadvantages. We discuss the specific components of accountability, motivation, and CMC medium in detail. The proposed model is a first step toward understanding how human support enhances adherence to eHealth interventions. Each component of the proposed model is a testable hypothesis. As we develop viable human support models, these should be manualized to facilitate dissemination.

Supportive Accountability: A Model for Providing Human Support to Enhance Adherence to eHealth Interventions

In this study 2,684 people evaluated the credibility of two live Web sites on a similar topic (such as health sites). We gathered the comments people wrote about each siteis credibility and analyzed the comments to find out what features of a Web site get noticed when people evaluate credibility. We found that the idesign looki of the site was mentioned most frequently, being present in 46.1% of the comments. Next most common were comments about information structure and information focus. In this paper we share sample participant comments in the top 18 areas that people noticed when evaluating Web site credibility. We discuss reasons for the prominence of design look, point out how future studies can build on what we have learned in this new line of research, and outline six design implications for human-computer interaction professionals.

How do users evaluate the credibility of Web sites?: a study with over 2,500 participants

/pdf/credibility-a-multidisciplinary-framework-58a13xgfkn.pdf

Credibility: A multidisciplinary framework

Web navigation and the behavioral effects of constantly visible site maps

Since the advent of modern computing in 1946, the uses of
computing technology have expanded far beyond their initial
role of performing complex calculations (Denning & Metcalfe,
1997). Computers are not just for scientists any more; they
are an integral part of workplaces and homes. The diffusion
of computers has led to new uses for interactive technology;
including the use of computers to change people’s attitudes
and behavior-in a word: persuasion. Computing pioneers of
the 1940s probably never imagined computers being used to
persuade.

David R. Danielson

Papers

How do users evaluate the credibility of Web sites?: a study with over 2,500 participants

Credibility: A multidisciplinary framework

Web navigation and the behavioral effects of constantly visible site maps

Motivating, influencing, and persuading users: an introduction to captology

Usability Data Quality