Transcript COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN WEB SEARCHING RAQUEL NAVARRO-PRIETO YVONNE ROGERS

HFWEB June 3, 1999
COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN
WEB SEARCHING
RAQUEL NAVARRO-PRIETO
YVONNE ROGERS
MIKE SCAIFE
School of Cognitive and Computer Science
University of Sussex (U.K.)
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
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?
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
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 Cognition
Develop the empirical Model
STEP 4:
– Experimental validationCognitive
of the Model
Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
Interactivity framework
EXTERNAL
REPRESENTATION
TASK
STRATEGY
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Tasks
What we know about
searching 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
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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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
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Searching Conditions
How the information is structured in the Web
Dispersed structure
Category structure
Specific Fact-finding Exploration of availbility Exploration of availbility
Specific Fact-finding
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Searching Conditions
Structure of information
How the information is structured in the Web
Dispersed structure
Category structure
Specific Fact-finding Exploration of availbility Exploration of availbility
Specific Fact-finding
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
Searching Conditions
Structure of information
How the information is structured in the Web
Dispersed structure
Category structure
Specific Fact-finding Exploration of availbility Exploration of availbility
Specific Fact-finding
Tasks
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
Design
SEAR C HING CON DITIONS
DISPERSED
ST R U CTU RE
EXPERIENCED
USERS
NOVICE USERS
fa ct-finding
exp o
l ration
CATEGORY
ST R U CTU RE
fa ct-finding
exp o
l ration
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Procedure
Searching task
(experimenter take notes)
Interview about the searching
Questionnaire
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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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
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Cognitive Strategies 1:
education
Top- down: descending in the hierarchy
libraries
Internet Public Library
Reference Center
Arts & Humanities
Book list and Awards Reference
N Prize
Foundation
Looking for a encyclopaedia to find information about Nobel prize
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
Cognitive Strategies 2:
Bottom-up: ascending in the hierarchy
query: ‘Literature
Nobel Prize 1997”
click on ‘Dario
Fo’
click on
‘Bibliography’
save
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Cognitive Strategies 3:
Mixed strategy:
BOTTOM-UP:
specific queries ‘Literature Nobel
Prize 1997’
TOP-DOWN:
Nobel
l.com (general resource page)
query ‘New York Times’
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
Overview of the Interactions:
Task/Experience/Strategies
SEARCHIN G
TASK
EXPERIEN CED
WEB-USERS
IN FORMATION
IN WEB
DISPERSED
STRUCTURE
SCIENTIFIC FACT-FINDING:
 Bottom-up/Mixed strategy at
the beginning and selecting
Bottom-up
N ON EXPERIEN CED
WEB-USERS

Starting with top-down
and changing at the end
to bottom-up

Top-down following
browser categories
EXPLORATORY:
 Top-down
IN FORMATION
IN WEB
CATEGORY
STRUCTURE


Mixed strategy at the
beginning and selecting topdown
Top-down
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
Interactivity framework
EXTERNAL
REPRESENTATION
TASK
STRATEGY
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Model for experienced users
Search Planning
Structure of
Information in Web?
Category
Use the Web
categories
Disperse
Exploratory
Goal of the task?
Fact Finding
Top-down:
maximize structured
information retrieval
Mixed Strategy: Testing
Bottom-up
Top-down
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Model for novice users
Start with the Categories from Web or keywords provided to them
Driven by the External Representations
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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How searchers use External
Representations
From a general category/query to a
specific topic/precise query or changing
topic following the suggestions
Making inferences: meaning of link,
subcategories, etc.
Differentiate the relevant/irrelevant
information
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
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Design Implications
EXT. REPRESENT. SHOULD
DIMENSIONS:
MAKE VISIBLE:
Cognitive overload: what is in each window
where they are
where they have been
Constraining:
Re-representation:
the structure of the
information
relevant
information/scanning
Cognitive Processes in Web searching
HFWEB June 3, 1999
Conclusions
Methodological conclusions
Hypothesis for experimentation
– Manipulate:
• Structure of the information/Experience/External representation
Design implications
Cognitive Processes in Web searching