Effects of gendered anthropomorphism and image appeal on moral norms in the context of charity website design

As the internet has developed, the barriers to online donations have decreased - in order to effectively differentiate, charities have adopted various interface design innovations to encourage donors. This study examines the efficacy of anthropomorphism and visual/image appeals in increasing willingness to donate to a charity website. This paper reports findings from the first in a series of experiments. Specifically, we test the effect of image type (negative affect vs positive affect) on the variables of image appeal, moral norms, and intentions to donate. Our future experiments will build on the findings presented here, by testing the influence of anthropomorphized vs non-anthropomorphized websites on the same variables. Once finalized, the results of this research will contribute to IS research through suggesting appropriate interface design and to charity donation research through the evaluation of alternative channels for donations.