User Preference of White Space in News Web Pages

The purpose of this study is to investigate users' preferences of usability, aesthetics, and perceived value to the amount of white space in web pages by excluding factors such as real text and images that could interfere with visual perception. The research variables are interaction mode (the percentage of white space vs narrower or wider margins), age, education and the computer usage time. Four different levels of samples were conducted. The participants were young users aged between 31 to 45 and elderly users aged above 61 years old. The result indicated that both young and elderly users preferred the sample of 55% white space with wider margins. The results can optimize web design guidelines for specific groups and provides an alternative perspective to evaluate usability, aesthetics, and perceived value of web pages.