Balancing Image Quality and Speed: How to Shave Seconds off Your Download Time
http://www.surl.org/usabilitynews/32/download_time.asp

Larsen, Laurie and Christine Phillips
Usability News
2001

Abstract:

The Internet has changed the way information is displayed. According to Weinman and Heavin, (1997) “It is no longer necessary to only create compelling visuals and information - the speed with which your site is viewed is also subject to critique,” (p. 36). Internet audiences are not captive. They can leave, and often do, at any time. It is the daunting task of web designers to not only draw the audience into a page, but to keep them there. One way to attract and keep an audience is by maximizing image quality while minimizing download time. This can be accomplished by choosing appropriate graphic file formats and by utilizing a variety of file size reduction techniques.