On a related note,
the Stanford Web Credibility Project makes the same general points.
One of the more unusual -- if not controversial -- findings: Web site visitors evaluate how the site looks. If the site looks "right," not pretty, not overdesigned, then visitors look at the content and apply other criteria.
Why Your Site Doesn't Need to be Pretty is very good about explaining the difference between message-to-market match and "pretty."
What's controversial is that you can test the look with users. And one look, while not being prettier or uglier, will produce more sales, clickthroughs, etc.