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Online ads breeding mouse rage?
Researchers in Britain have identified a new illness that they have dubbed 'mouse rage'.Referring to anger and frustration caused by poorly-designed webpages, sufferers of mouse rage experience an increased heart rate and profuse sweating.
Symptoms can be accompanied by rapid clicking and bashing of the mouse and, in extreme cases, screaming at the computer. The study warns that 'mouse rage syndrome' could negatively affect cardio functions, the immune and nervous systems.
A team from the Social Issues Research Centre tested the responses of 2,500 web users to a "perfect" website and a site with "crazy graphics and slow-loading pages" and found that most of those faced with badly designed, difficult to navigate or poorly hosted webpages demonstrated high levels of stress and anxiety.
"The test results indicate that users want Google-style speed, function and accuracy from all of the websites they visit, and they want it now," the researchers claim. "Unfortunately, many websites and their servers cannot deliver this."
Problems such as slow-loading pages, bad layouts, pop-ups, annoying adverts and site unavailability all caused users' hearts to race. Good quality online advertising can prove invaluable to any business, as internet users become more web literate and demand higher levels of service.
Online Advertising news posted on 22 December 2006
