Studying the User Task of Information Gathering on the Web (original) (raw)

A field study characterizing Web-based information-seeking tasks

Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2007

Previous studies have examined various aspects of user behaviour on the Web, including general information seeking patterns, search engine use, and revisitation habits. Little research has been conducted to study how users navigate and interact with their Web browser across different information seeking tasks. We have conducted a field study of 21 participants in which we logged detailed Web usage and asked participants to provide task categorizations of their Web usage based on the following categories: Fact Finding, Information Gathering, Browsing, and Transactions. We used implicit measures logged during each task session to provide usage measures, such as dwell time, number of pages viewed, and the use of specific browser navigation mechanisms. We also report on differences in how participants interacted with their Web browser across the range of information seeking tasks. Within each type of task we found several distinguishing characteristics. In particular, Information Gathering tasks were the most complex; participants spent more time completing this task, viewed more pages, and used the Web browser functions most heavily during this task. The results of this analysis have been used to provide implications for future support of information seeking on the Web, as well as direction for future research in this area.

Web Information Gathering Tasks and the User Search Behaviour

Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies, 2012

The research described in this article is an attempt to characterize the kind of search behaviour users follow while gathering information on the Web. Information gathering on the Web is a task in which users collect information; possibly from different sources (pages); more likely over multiple sessions to satisfy certain requirements and goals. This process involves decision making and organization of the information gathered for the task. Information gathering tasks have been shown to be search-reliant. Therefore, identifying the kind of search behaviour users choose for this kind of task may lead to supporting Web information gathering tools as recommended in the findings of this research. The results of the user study reported in this paper indicate that the user search behaviour during Web information gathering tasks has characteristics of both orienteering and teleporting behaviours.

Web Information Gathering, Which Subtask to Investigate? A User Study

2015

This paper is an attempt to re-identify the subtasks of the task of information gathering on the web which require further research. The study confirms the types of subtasks that need further consideration yet with different ordering of significance from what users indicated in a previous study. The different ordering was concluded based on the frequency of activities performed within each subtask. The study in Alhenshiri, et al. [1] recommended that web users performing information gathering tasks should be able to: re-find information from previous sessions for the same task more effectively, should also handle multiple sessions more effectively, and they should be able to manage and organize information for the entire task not dispersed parts of it. The research discussed in this manuscript revisits those recommendations in a user study comparing a tool designed specifically for information gathering tasks on the web and the plain browser while used with other assisting applicati...

Information Seeking on the Web: An Integrated Model of Browsing and Searching

First Monday, 2000

This paper presents findings from a study of how knowledge workers use the Web to seek external information as part of their daily work. Thirty-four users from seven companies took part in the study. Participants were mainly IT specialists, managers, and research/marketing/consulting staff working in organizations that included a large utility company, a major bank, and a consulting firm. Participants answered a detailed questionnaire and were interviewed individually in order to understand their information needs and information seeking preferences. A custom-developed WebTracker software application was installed on each of their workplace PCs, and participants'Web-use activities were then recorded continuously during two-week periods. The WebTracker recorded how participants used the browser to seek information on the Web: it logged menu choices, button bar selections, and keystroke actions, allowing browsing and searching sequences to be reconstructed. In a second round of personal interviews, participants recalled critical incidents of using information from the Web.

Information-seeking behaviours and cognitive search strategies in different search tasks on the WWW

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 2006

This study investigates the cognitive strategies of 80 participants as they engaged in two researcher-defined tasks and two participant-defined information-seeking tasks using the WWW. Each researcher-defined task and participant-defined task was further divided into a directed search task and a general-purpose browsing task. On the basis of retrospective verbal protocols, log-file data and observations, 12 cognitive search strategies were identified and explained. The differences in cognitive search strategy choice between researcher-defined and participant-defined tasks and between directed search and general-purpose tasks were examined using correspondence analysis. These cognitive search strategies were compared to earlier investigations of search strategies on the WWW.Describing information-seeking behaviours and cognitive search strategies in detail provides website developers and search engine developers with valuable insights into how users seek (and find) information of value to them. Using this information, website developers might gain some knowledge as to how to best represent the content and navigational properties of websites. Search engine developers might wish to make the search and collection strategies more transparent to users. There are also design implications for the designers of web browsers.

Information seeking behaviours and cognitive strategies in different search tasks on the WWW

Trends Towards a Web Search Information Seeking Behaviour: Models

Changing Landscapes in Library and Information Sciences, 2018

The article provides the background of information seeking behaviour (ISB) and defines some operational and other related terms. Information need, requirement and seeking have been differentiated. It also describes the various models of ISB. This study has provided a move towards comprehensive models of ISB including web interaction. The study also offers some implications of the existing models and requirement for further study including ISB in library and information science (LISc) curricula. These implications will create a new perspective to interpreted ISB. Some of the models are briefly described and compared. The study suggests that there should be subject and user group based ISB model to relate motivation for new web based ISB. The study concludes and offers a new web model of ISB, which contrasts with earlier ISB models. It also provides a potential guide to re-define and re-interpret ISB as well scope for the further research study and developments.

A faceted approach to conceptualizing tasks in information seeking

Information Processing & Management, 2008

The nature of the task that leads a person to engage in information interaction, as well as of information seeking and searching tasks, have been shown to influence individuals' information behavior. Classifying tasks in a domain has been viewed as a departure point of studies on the relationship between tasks and human information behavior. However, previous task classification schemes either classify tasks with respect to the requirements of specific studies or merely classify a certain category of task. Such approaches do not lead to a holistic picture of task since a task involves different aspects. Therefore, the present study aims to develop a faceted classification of task, which can incorporate work tasks and information search tasks into the same classification scheme and characterize tasks in such a way as to help people make predictions of information behavior. For this purpose, previous task classification schemes and their underlying facets are reviewed and discussed. Analysis identifies essential facets and categorizes them into Generic facets of task and Common attributes of task. Generic facets of task include Source of task, Task doer, Time, Action, Product, and Goal. Common attributes of task includes Task characteristics and User's perception of task. Corresponding sub-facets and values are identified as well. In this fashion, a faceted classification of task is established which could be used to describe users' work tasks and information search tasks. This faceted classification provides a framework to further explore the relationships among work tasks, search tasks, and interactive information retrieval and advance adaptive IR systems design.

A study of information seeking and retrieving. I. Background and methodology

Readings in information …, 1997

The objectives of the study were to conduct a series of observations and experiments under as real-life a situation as possible related to: (i) user context of questions in information retrieval; (ii) the structure and classification of questions; (iii) cognitive traits and decision making of searchers; and (iv) different searches of the same question. The study is presented in three parts: Part I presents the background ot the study and describes the models, measures, methods, procedures, and statistical analyses used. Part II is devoted to results related to users, questions, and effectiveness measures, and Part III to results related to searchers, searches, and overlap studies. A concluding summary of all results is presented in Part III.

Studying the User Task of Information Gathering on the Web (original) (raw)

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