User effort in query construction and interface selection

Abstract

This study was designed to examine user beliefs and behavior on the selection and use of search features and search interfaces. Five weeks of user logs were taken from a user-targeted collection and surveys were administered immediately before and after this time period. Survey results indicate a significant correlation between a user's level of effort and their perceived benefit from that effort. Reported search feature use increased by more than 35% over the five weeks. This raises the question of how the behavior of an Internet user changes over time. Results from the log files were inconclusive but suggest a reluctance to use the advanced search interface.