A WWW informationseeking process model

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A WWW information-seeking process model
sgloeber 20 min. of presentation and 10 min. of
discussion. The number before the titles is to
indicate which part of the overview I am talking
about. They will disappear eventually.
Databases Hypermedia Group, Department of
Informatics

• Susanne Loeber Alexandra Cristea

CBMO Workshops June 23, 2002
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Overview

• To specify user information to characterize
  navigation behaviour.
• To classify web sites and different paths to
  navigate them.
• To look at ways to evaluate user behaviour and
  extract design rules or guidelines.

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1. Information-Seeking Process
sgloeber Before we can specify the necessary
user information, we should first look at the way
people seek for information.

• Information-Seeking Process model (ISP model)
• Choo, 1999
• Information need
• uncertainty, cognitive gap, problem dimension.
• Information seeking
• motivation, interest, source quality, source
  accessibility.
• Information use
• avoid maintenance, cognitive styles, norms, rules.

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1. User characteristics
sgloeber Second, we should look at the
characteristics which describe the user when
doing step 1-3

• Motivation, Ability and Opportunity model Hoyer
  and McInnis, 2001
• Motivation
• personal relevance, values, needs, goals,
  perceived risk, inconsistency with attitudes.
• Ability
• knowledge, experience, cognitive style, monetary
  resources.
• Opportunity
• time, distraction, amount of information,
  complexity, repetition.

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1. ISP and user combined
sgloeber Third, combining ISP and User char. to
find the key elements.

• The user experiences an information need in
  context of
• Social or non-social need of a functional,
  symbolic or hedonic nature.
• The user seeks for information on WWW
• to find information about X,
• to find a way to enhance/change self-image,
  public image or esteem,
• to have pleasure.
• The user uses the information found
• to read, buy, compare, verify, exchange, or X,
• to interact with others, copying others
  behaviour,
• to experience pleasure.

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2. Website classification
sgloeber From the designers point of view a
website model should contain the following items.

• A website is not for everybody
• Purpose
• to inform, to persuade or to entertain.
• Value
• utilitarian or hedonic.
• Target Audience
• MAO for each step of the ISP
• Search-oriented browse, review browse, scan
  browse versus using a search engine

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Pseudo-mathematical expression
sgloeber More than teaching stuff alone?!

• please add information

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3. A way to evaluate user within a website
sgloeber Discussions and future directions.

• From MAO to rhetorical role-playing approach to
  user modelling.
• From website classification to context-driven
  approach to content modelling.
• Rhetorical role-playing, context-driven approach
  focuses on the user (characteristics,
  preferences), content selection, layout and level
  of interaction.
• Influences from Social Navigation ought to be
  taken into account.

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Conclusion

• The type and nature of the need are of big
  importance during the complete information
  seeking process, therefore
• the users need should to be integrated into the
  WWW ISP modelling.
• The users need should be taken into account when
  modelling both the user and website
  characteristics.