A new report sets those ideas on their head. User Interface Engineering observed the struggles and successes of over fifty people as they searched for information on nine popular web sites. The 155-page report improved and impaired their usability. Our research tols us things about web design that no one else knows. Animation may attract attention in ads, but it irritates users and makes it more difficult for them to find information on a site.
Users apparently look for information by scanning.
Therefore, white-space is a disadvantage, not an advantage. Web pages are not like paper pages. The more difficult the text, by standard reading measures, the easier it is for users to find what they're looking for. Sites that users say they like best are not necessarily the sites they can use best, in contrast to application software where users like best the software they can use best. University of Tennessee 1997-1999.