A WWW informationseeking process model

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A WWW information-seeking process model
Databases Hypermedia Group, Department of
Informatics

• Susanne Loeber Alexandra Cristea

CBMO Workshop, ISSEI02 June 23, 2002
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Overview

• Goals
• ISP and other models
• MAO
• Web-site classification
• Our model
• Conclusions
• Discussion

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Goals

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

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Information-Seeking Process

• Choo, 1999

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General navigation process framework
Furnas et al, 1997
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Elliss navigation model
Spense, 1999
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User characteristics

• Motivation, Ability and Opportunity model
• 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.

Hoyer, MacInns 01
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Needs modeling
Hoyer, MacInns 01
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ISP and user characteristics combined

• 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 behavior,
  
• to experience pleasure.

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Website classification

• 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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Our navigation model
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Pseudo-mathematical expression (I)
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Pseudo-mathematical expression (II)
a search strategy should be selected, e.g.,
search, browse, chaining, monitoring, etc. or
combination of the above b.   quality criteria
to be selected (i.e., how good the solution
should be) c.   quantitative criteria to be
selected (i.e., how many solutions
needed) d.   end (stop) criteria should be
selected (timeout, number of steps, etc.)
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Conclusion

• Type nature of the need are of great importance
  during the complete info seeking process,
  therefore
• the users need should to be integrated into the
  WWW ISP modeling.
• the users need should be taken into account
  when modeling both the user and website
  characteristics.

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Discussion

• MAO ? rhetorical role-playing approach website
  classification ? context-driven approach
• a rhetorical role-playing, context-driven
  approach
• focusing on
• the user (s characteristics, preferences),
• content selection,
• layout,
• level of interaction,
• and taking influences from Social Navigation into
  account.