The role of task type and animation in the emergence of the ‘banner blindness’ phenomenon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54359/ps.v19i106.2083Abstract
In the context of rapid digital growth and increasing information overload, online advertising faces the phenomenon of banner blindness – the selective ignoring of advertising elements on web pages by users. This study presents an experimental investigation of factors influencing the salience and memorability of banner ads: the type of advertisement (animated or static) and the type of user task (high-target-detail task vs. low-target-detail task).
The results showed that task type significantly affects ad visibility: banners are noticed more frequently during low-target-detail tasks. At the same time, the type of banner (animated vs. static) did not demonstrate a significant effect on either detection or recall. We suggest that users’ adaptation to the typical layout of elements on the screen leads banners to receive low activation on the priority map, thereby neutralizing the effect of animation, particularly when users perform high-target-detail tasks. The findings raise an important question about strategies for capturing attention in online advertising and highlight the importance of user tasks.
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