SearchG2ssWebF2008


 * Activity 3: Secondary Literature Search **

To start our search process we met as a group via Blackboard chat to discuss possible options on how to narrow our general topic of website design. We decided to have each group member come up with two different ways to narrow this topic. Are results were as follows: After a discussion where each group member shared their ideas, we selected the topic of color in web communications and decided to narrow this topic in these two ways: With the topic narrowed, each group member started the process of researching related keywords.
 * What visual communication features are the most effective for enhancing a Website’s impact?
 * How effective navigation for a cultural-communication website is created?
 * What benefits do color and visuals affect website design? How do they effect communication?
 * What is the best way to measure the usability of a website?
 * What elements make the website easy for the intended audience to use?
 * What navigation features are important when designing a website?
 * What benefits does color lend to a web page design?
 * How does color impact web communication?

** The Search Process: **
Each group member used their own key words/themes to start their search.

** Key words/Themes searched: **

 * Color theory in website design
 * Website design theory + color
 * Benefits of color + website design
 * Web Communication + impacts of color
 * Importance of color + webpage design
 * Color theory + website design
 * Color +usability
 * Influence of color + webpage design
 * Various colors + webpage design
 * Website design + color
 * Web page design psychology
 * Does color benefit webpage design?
 * How does color benefit webpage design?
 * How does color impact web communication?
 * Web page design + color + audience
 * Hexadecimal color
 * Color schemes for designs to text colors
 * Colorblind web page filter-usability
 * HTML colors/216 safe colors

** Search Engines and Databases used: **
One group member found the materials on East Carolina University’s Joyner Library online database (http://www.ecu.edu/lib/) to be useful. This group member plugged various key word combinations (shown below) that showed an important correlation between website design and color into the search field for E-Journals. This group member was then directed to review a variety of results from a number of different academic journal sources. She further chose to utilize sources for the project that she felt were most relevant to the topic of website and color in terms of usability, appeal and impact. Another group member found Wikipedia ([|www.wikipedia.com]) to be a beneficial starting point. This group member played around with an assortment of key words/themes that contained both website design and color into the search box on Wikipedia. A number of results were returned to the group member on the topic. She then sorted through the results she received and began the process of utilizing sources for the project that she felt were useful on the topic of website design and color, as the group member above did. Another group member began the process of narrowing the topic by considering some of the themes revealed during the research topic activity. That review data provided a gauge for what kinds of themes communication experts consider important. This group member used Google as a starting point for her search. Searching with her key terms led her to a Web site entitled “Color Laboratory” at http://colorlab.wickline.org/coloblind/colorlab/ The creators of this site are listed as Bob Stein (visibone.com) and Thomas Wolfmaier, Human-Computer Interaction Resource Network (hcirn.com). Both of those sites were checked as sources of further information. Visibone.com was shown to be a commercial site that has several products to sell but does not provide research level information. HCI Resource Network (hcirn.com), however, is a very complete resource for Web based information, much of which is documented with viable secondary research and its sources. The HCI Resource Network site serves to advance knowledge in the realm of human-computer interaction (HCI). The complete resource section within this site is subdivided into five categories: books, periodicals, events, organizers, and publishers. Within each segment, there is a large listing of resources/links. Under books, for example, a list of links is provided for years books were published on various computer-interaction topics. The starting date for these publications is a link for “1989" that includes sources published before that time. This list of links continues through listings for books published in 2005. While that date suggests that the site has not been kept beyond that point, the resource is still very extensive, and none of the links reviewed in this search have yet become inactive. Each year’s link contains a page of the references published during that year, and those references are related to an aspect of computer interaction and design. Many of the books listed might then be examined to find relevant discussions about the impact of color on Web pages.  Additionally, within the descriptions of books listed for any given year is a link to that book’s publisher’s site. These links allow for yet another area of search within a publishing house’s archives, and this provides a potential extra range into which a researcher can explore.
 * ECU’s Joyner Library online database
 * Google
 * Google Scholar
 * Ask.com
 * About.com
 * Amazon.com
 * Vivisimo

** Obtaining Background Insight: **
The overview of searching for secondary research included a recommendation to gain some insight into the topic, even if the source for that information is not considered secondary research. One group member found **About.com** to be a good source for information on the topic of Web color. The “Web Design Basics” section, featuring the work of Jennifer Kyrnin, offers a wide range of information, including how to use color when creating Web sites. This information is related to placement of color (either as a hexidecimal designation or a named color) in Web pages as well as the meanings people derive from the different colors used. This site also provides information that is somewhat less technically focused, including background material on color psychology, something that can be very important in exploring the effectiveness of color in Web design. A good general source like this will provide enough background information on many aspects of the general topic to guide the researcher with key concepts that can help when accessing more secondary research sources. Another source that a group member found useful for background information was the DMOZ Project (dmoz.org). This directory allows for drilling into a topic. The general topic of //Internet// was first selected, followed by //Web Design/Development//, followed by a glance into //Color Theory//, which provided some valuable background material. Backing up one level to //Web Design/Development//, the subcategory //Resources// was then selected by this group member. Clicking into that link brings up, for instance, a list of books on various topics of visual literacy. Selecting those books leads to **Amazon.com**, which provides an overview of any book, its author, and other books on the topic. Often the tables of contents of the listed texts can be viewed, giving researchers a quick idea of whether a book covers the topic of interest. Finally, the resources in DMOZ provided yet another list of names and potential keywords that can then be searched on, perhaps in the Scholar section of Google, to see what further resources are discovered. Another search tool, Vivisimo (vivisimo.com), was used to search on “Web color.” The link to colornexus.com was discovered, which included a segment entitled, “Web Color: The Magic and the Marketing.” This information proved to be another excellent background source. However, no “research” was actually cited there, and the information could therefore not be considered secondary research.
 * Key words that were considered after Preliminary searching: **

Color accessibility || Usability || Color design || User experience || Color science || Visual communication || Color theory || Visual thought || Color psychology || Web color || Content preparation || Web design || Decorative color || Web psychology ||

** Using Google Scholar: **
One group member found that Entering some key words into the Scholar section of Google revealed older references, some ten years old or more. The impression this created was that the topic is old news, but that assessment did not ring true when compared with some of the other resources explored already, including the Human-Computer Interaction Network site and the class wiki sections on recently reviewed topics. The chief benefit of using this search tool is the discovery of people who are researching in the general area, a useful tidbit when looking for more information. In fact, some of those names were used to see what searches in Scholar would reveal.

** Other Search Tools: **
Google Scholar, while not definitive, often provides a starting point for delving into the academic portals. Such was the case when a keyword search led one of our investigators into the Joyner Library’s connection to the IEEE Computer Society database. In that site, the terms “web color” introduced the researcher to several rather current pieces of research, the seemingly most relevant of which are listed as potential references below. One of the articles found was rather old, but had been linked to many times. The research section at the end of the article also provided some other names and resources that could be used to search for newer materials.

** Recursiveness of the Search Process: **
As a group, each member found the research to be recursive. The repetitions of the process lead each group member to reapply the research method when different results were uncovered. As a group, everyone found that they needed to fine-tune their research techniques depending upon the given results. Examples of this occurrence included, when researching broad topics such as “color” and “webpage design,” a variety of results would appear. A great amount of review of the article and/or abstract was necessary to determine which sources might be appropriate and relevant for my topic. If several key terms in an abstract passage, one group member would then continue to review the article. Another example of this occurrence was the exploration of the resources of the Human-Computer Interaction Network (hcirn.com) site showed that many steps would need to be repeated through each of the different area in order to find and assess the quality of the resources founds there. Each of those repetitions would be a time-consuming process. The threads found in the HCIRN site included a new round of keywords to be explored, a list of authors to review, as well as how much they have contributed to the topic at hand, and a focus on the publishers of books whose content is closely related to the selected topic. On one of the book pages, for example, a link to the MIT press was selected, which opened a new pathway for resource searching. Those resources seemed to have value, but time would be required for assessing them, thereby leaving the other threads unexplored for a while. Whether any keywords or other leads help uncover information about Web color practice is revealed only by actively searching some of the terms. The search process requires organized record keeping and repeating only those search methods that provide the best outcomes, so that the process is not endlessly undertaken without discovery of pertinent information

** Some Unforeseen Discoveries: **
Reviewing books and bibliographies that deal with newer, Internet communications often leads back to Internet sources that are not considered academic. These sources, however, are often rich in content. One such source this search revealed is www.uxmatters.com. This site has a wide range of articles by many writers. Their biographies are listed and include writing credentials earned with some of the major Silicon Valley corporations. Many have also worked for several years as Web design consultants. While not found in the halls of academy, many of these writers are well known in the cyber world, and their credibility has got to be considered relevant when dealing the realm of Internet communication. One article found in a scholarly journal cited at least one dozen corporate or institutional Web sites in its reference list. The value perhaps is that frames of reference can be derived from those sites that enhance understanding, which is then further supported by the more scholarly works listed there. However, it can also be argued that these references speak for themselves in way that traditional texts and research articles are not able to. A 2004 issue of //Business Communication Quarterly// featured a book review for a text that, while well regarded, is not itself considered scholarly. Eva Brumberger, a published visual communication scholar, reviewed //The Non-Designer's Web Book,// by R. Williams & J. Tollett, and her review was quite favorable. That endorsement helps lend credence to the idea that some of the books found by searching Amazon.com are useful tools when researching new media applications.

** Potential Resources Identified: **
Brown, D.C., et al. (2002). “Evaluating web page color and layout adaptations.” //IEEE Multimedia,// 9(1), 86-89. Durrett, H.J. (1987). //Color and the Computer//. Boston: Academic Press. Gabriel-Petit, P. (2007). "Applying color theory to digital displays." Retrieved October 2008 from [|www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/000163.php].

Huang, K.C., “Visual search performance on an LCD monitor: Effects of color combination of figure and icon background, shape of icon, and line width of icon border”. (2007). //Journal of Perceptual and Motor Skills,// 104, (2) pp. 562-574.

Jones, S.L. (1997). "A guide to using color effectively in business communication." //Business Communication Quarterly//, 60(2), 76-88. Karlsson, M. "Expressions, emotions, and website design." //CoDesign// 3 (March 2007). 75-89. //Academic Search Premier//, EBSCO//host// (accessed October 9, 2008).

Kassuba, T., Opwis, K., Reijnen, E., Wallach, D., Stocklin, M., “Color similarity in visual search.” (2007). //Swiss Journal of Psychology,// 66, (4) pp. 191-199. Murayoma, N., Saito, S., & Okumura, M. (2003). “Are web pages characterized by color?” //International WWW Conference//, 248-249. Niederst, J. (2006). //Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference//, 3rd Ed. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media. Noiwan J., Norcio, A.F., “Cultural differences on attention and perceived usability: Investigating color combinations of animated graphics”. (2006). //International Journal of Human Computer Studies//, 64 (2), pp. 103-122.

Redish, J. (2007). //Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content That Works//. San Francisco: Morgan Kauffman. Saffer, D. (2006). Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices. Berkeley, CA: New Riders. Schneiderman, B. (1998). //Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction//, 3rd ed. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman.

Tsang, H., Tsang, T., "Web page design attracts copyright protection." //Managing Intellectual Property// (November 2006). 93-93. //Academic Search Premier//, EBSCO//host// (accessed October 9, 2008). Ueki, H. & Azuma, M. (2003). “Background color coordination support system for web page design.” 2nd //IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics//, 207-213. Weare, C. & Lin, Wan-Ying. (2000). "Content analysis of the World Wide Web: Opportunities & challenges." //Social Science Computer Review//, 18(3), 272-292. Wilder, Ron. (2000). "Learning to use color on your website." Retrieved October 2008 from www.creativepro.com/article/learning-to-use-color-on-your-web-site.