Cognitive Processes in Web searching HFWEB June 3, 1999 COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN WEB SEARCHING RAQUEL NAVARRO-PRIETO YVONNE ROGERS MIKE SCAIFE School of

Cognitive Processes in Web searching

HFWEB June 3, 1999

COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN WEB SEARCHING

RAQUEL NAVARRO-PRIETOYVONNE ROGERS

MIKE SCAIFESchool of Cognitive and Computer ScienceSchool of Cognitive and Computer Science

University of Sussex (U.K.)University of Sussex (U.K.)


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Objectives and Questions

Develop a Cognitive model of web searching – How people search for information in such

a complex environment?– What are the main users problems?– Role of interactivity, external

representations, mental models?


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How to develop this model? STEP 1:

– Theoretical Interactivity framework based on literature

STEP 2:– Empirical study

STEP 3:– Analysis of the results using the Interactivity framework &

External CognitionDevelop the empirical Model

STEP 4:– Experimental validation of the Model


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Interactivity framework

STRATEGYSTRATEGY

EXTERNAL EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIONREPRESENTATIONTASKTASK


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What we know about searching tasks:

Tasks– Web studies: Shneiderman ‘s model (1997), details vs. general information

(Braham, 1997)– Interactive multimedia: Effects of interactivity, cognitive principles for CAI.

Strategies– Web studies: Effect of: experience (Kellogg and Richards, 1995), strategies

(Nielsen, 1997, Pejtersen and Fidel, 1998)

External representations– Interactive multimedia: Information retrieval in hypertext system– External Cognition: Interaction between external representations and

internal representations


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Getting data Methodology & Design:

– Observational (video recording) – Interviews– Questionnaire: experience, web knowledge,

satisfaction. Tasks: 4 tasks Subjects

– Experienced & novice web users– Computer Science and Psychology students


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Searching Conditions

S pecific F act-finding Exploration of availbilit y

D ispersed structure

Exploration of availbilit y Specific F act-finding

Category structure

Ho w th e in fo rmatio n is stru ctu red in the W eb


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Category structure


Structure of information


HFWEB June 3, 1999





Category structure


Structure of information

Tasks


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Design

SEARCHING CONDITIONS EXPERIENCEDUSERS

NOVICE USERS

fact-findingDISPERSEDSTRUCTURE

exploration

fact-findingCATEGORYSTRUCTURE

exploration


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ProcedureSearching task

(experimenter take notes)

Interview about the searching

Questionnaire


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FINDINGS

Questionnaire Results– Experienced users / novices

Behavior data & Interviews– Integration of data from video data analysis

and interviews to identify the common patterns


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Cognitive Strategies 1:

Top- down: descending in the hierarchyeducation

librariesInternet Public Library

Reference Center

Arts & Humanities

Book list and Awards Reference

N Prize Foundation

Looking for a encyclopaedia to find information about Nobel prize


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Cognitive Strategies 2:

Bottom-up: ascending in the hierarchy

query: ‘Literature Nobel Prize 1997”

click on ‘Dario Fo’ click on

‘Bibliography’save


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Cognitive Strategies 3: Mixed strategy:

BOTTOM-UP:

TOP-DOWN:Nobell.com (general resource page)

query ‘New York Times’

specific queries ‘Literature NobelPrize 1997’


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Overview of the Interactions:Task/Experience/StrategiesSEARCHING

TASKEXPERIENCEDWEB-USERS

NON-EXPERIENCEDWEB-USERS

SCIENTIFIC FACT-FINDING: Bottom-up/Mixed strategy at

the beginning and selectingBottom-up

INFORMATIONIN WEB

DISPERSEDSTRUCTURE

EXPLORATORY: Top-down

Starting with top-downand changing at the endto bottom-up

INFORMATIONIN WEB

CATEGORYSTRUCTURE

Mixed strategy at thebeginning and selecting top-down

Top-down

Top-down followingbrowser categories


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Interactivity framework

STRATEGYSTRATEGY

EXTERNAL EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIONREPRESENTATIONTASKTASK


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Model for experienced users

Search Planning

Category Use the Web categories

Structure of Information in Web?

Goal of the task?

DisperseExploratoryExploratory

Top-down: maximize structured information retrieval

Mixed Strategy: Testing

Fact FindingFact Finding

Top-downBottom-up


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Model for novice users

Start with the Categories from Web or keywords provided to them

Driven by the External Representations


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How searchers use External Representations

Making inferences: meaning of link, subcategories, etc.

From a general category/query to a specific topic/precise query or changing topic following the suggestions

Differentiate the relevant/irrelevant information


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Design Implications

Cognitive overload: what is in each window where they are where they have been

Constraining: the structure of the information

DIMENSIONS:EXT. REPRESENT. SHOULD MAKE VISIBLE:

Re-representation: relevant information/scanning


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Conclusions

Methodological conclusions

Hypothesis for experimentation– Manipulate:

• Structure of the information/Experience/External representation

Design implications

Documents

Cognitive Processes in Web searching HFWEB June 3, 1999 COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN WEB SEARCHING RAQUEL NAVARRO-PRIETO YVONNE ROGERS MIKE SCAIFE School of