Browsing and Searching E-encyclopaedias (original) (raw)

A study into the usability of e-encyclopaedias

2004

This paper describes a usability study performed on three different e-encyclopaedias, all of which were available on the web, contained similar content and targeted similar audiences, but differed in their styles of presentation. The purpose of the study was to discover the effectiveness of each design in terms of overall usability and subjective satisfaction, to extract general guidelines for the successful design of e-encyclopaedias, and to examine the requirements of different user groups.

An insight into online encyclopaedias for children and young adults

Online encyclopaedias and encyclopaedic portals for children and young adults serve as useful tools for acquiring knowledge. This paper presents the results of the analysis of functionalities of three online encyclopaedias for children and young adults, Britannica Kids, Q-files and KidzSearch Encyclopedia in the digital environment. A set of basic criteria for the evaluation of usability of online encyclopaedias intended for young users were established. These criteria could serve as the basis for the definition of a concept for production of online ency-clopaedic works for children and young adults.

From Who and What to How and Why – The Future of Online Encyclopaedias

2011

This paper discusses changes in the structure of knowledge, the increasing demand for abilities of search and retrieval, assessment and evaluation, organization and creative use of relevant information. It is a review of the topic intended to serve as a basis for further research aimed at answering the many questions that arise from this paper. Today, users are finding content through search engines. This requires a different approach to the organization of encyclopaedias and other lexicographical issues. All can be found, but it is also important to know where and how to look for it. The conducted research centered around the quality of "coverage" of some, in Croatia well known, lexical units, in different Wikipedias: four regional languages and editions (Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Serbo-Croatian), and four world languages (English, French, German and Spanish). We observed the presence of writers and athletes in those languages. None of the selected writers had an articl...

An integrated model of interaction experience for information retrieval in a Web-based encyclopaedia

Interacting with Computers, 2011

An experiment, using two versions of a Web site varying in usability, tested three models of user experience: an interaction experience model, a technology acceptance model and an integrated experience-acceptance model. We found that the perceptions of three product attributes (Pragmatic Quality, Hedonic Qualitystimulation and Hedonic Quality-identification) and technology acceptance variables (the beliefs of Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Enjoyment and Perceived Usefulness, and Intention to Use) are separate underlying psychological dimensions. A positive effect of usability on task performance, interaction experience and acceptance was found. In the interaction experience model, the evaluation of Goodness (overall interaction quality) was less stable and influenced by both Pragmatic Quality and Hedonic Quality, but the evaluation of Beauty was more stable and only influenced by Hedonic Quality. In the technology acceptance model, Perceived Ease of Use was a determinant of Perceived Enjoyment and Perceived Usefulness, and the latter two were independent determinants of Intention to Use. In the integrated model, perceptions of product attributes were independent determinants of beliefs, but evaluations were not independent determinants of Intention to Use. Future modelling work should address a range of interactive systems, information architecture and individual differences.

The WEB Book experiments in electronic textbook design

Journal of Documentation, 2003

This paper describes a series of three evaluations of electronic textbooks on the Web, which focused on assessing how appearance and design can affect users' sense of engagement and directness with the material. The EBONI Project's methodology for evaluating electronic textbooks is outlined and each experiment is described, together with an analysis of results. Finally, some recommendations for successful design are suggested, based on an analysis of all experimental data. These recommendations underline the main findings of the evaluations: that users want some features of paper books to be preserved in the electronic medium, while also preferring electronic text to be written in a scannable style.

Usability Evaluation of Encyclopedia Websites

2021

Usability is an important aspect that every website should focus more. It tells us how well and success website will function with real users. Many people often think usability tests are expensive and time-consuming. It can be a cost-effective and time saver with usability testing instead of spending more time fixing an unusable website. This study evaluates the usability of encyclopedia websites by using automated usability testing tools and questionnaire methods. The questionnaire was developed based on a standard form called Website Analysis and Measurement Inventory (WAMMI) that identified 20 common usability questions divided into five categories. Each category deals with one aspect of usability. Simultaneously, the automated usability testing tools used in this study were Pingdom and GT Metrix to calculate and analyse the website performance of selected encyclopedia websites based on website components including page load time, media size and overall web performance grades. Th...

User interface design for the Hyperties electronic encyclopedia (panel session)

1987

Printed books were an enormous stimulus to science, culture, commerce, and entertainment. Electronic books and hypertext systems may produce a similar stimulus in the next century, but current designs are poor. Typical screens are too small, too slow, too complicated, and too hard to read. With careful attention to the user interface and the underlying technology, we have a chance to create a new medium that is potentially more attractive and effective than printed books in many situations.

Global and Local Hypermedia Design in the Encyclopaedia Africana

Workshops in Computing, 1996

DYNAMIC DIAGRAMS, INC. Abstract The tradition of presenting,information,on the,printed page assumes,a single location for each piece of information,within a collection,and an implicit,linear order. It also limits the information,to what,can be presented,with ink on paper, excluding audio, video, and animated graphics. Hypermedia technology offers new,possibilities of content,and organization,to the author and naviga- tion to the reader. With these new possibilities come,new,design

Checking Knowledge in Online Encyclopaedias: Towards a Behavioural Approach to Data Accessibility

Lexikos, 2010

This article outlines a new approach to data access in electronic encyclopaedias. Contrary to most of the existing research, which treats access as a lexicographer-dominated, structural concept, access is viewed here as a process which is essentially user-driven. The role of the lexicographer is to facilitate this process, so that it can become rapid and unimpeded, but their control of it should be reduced to a minimum. This can only be achieved if access to data is adjusted to the specific type of need for information. Accordingly, the article examines three forms of data access applicable in situations in which the user experiences the need for a finite, specific amount of information. The results of the examination confirm that access to data is indeed a process whose success depends on the interaction between the user, the data, and the type of need for information which the given reference work aims to satisfy.

Lexicography and Encyclopaedistics in the Digital Environment

This paper presents the current as well as the planned future activities concerning the transformation of the Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography into an e-institution. The authors outline the transformation process of the lexicography and encyclopaedistics from a traditional to a digital environment. The activities concerning the establishment of the publicly available repository of encyclopaedic knowledge are discussed. Furthermore, methods of digital communication with users are described, namely web pages and social media channels, in the context of the Institute's activities. The authors acknowledge that publishing of encyclopaedic editions faces challenges and changes in the digital environment. Digital technologies are transforming the encyclopaedic profession and ways of preparing and presenting encyclopaedic knowledge. The authors explain the changes that should be made in order to drive the Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography towards becoming a fully blown e-institution.