The scuzzier-looking the site, the more users may reveal about themselves. That’s the finding of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. They set up identical questionnaires at differently designed sites.
The naughty devil won the day. Volunteers responding on that site were almost twice as likely to admit to having engaged in “illicit” or “socially questionable” activities. And they were also more likely to type in their e-mail addresses.
Watch for more red-on-blue flashing fonts and smiley icons at a marketing site near you.
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