User study on link-service usage and information processing in the context of the world wide web

Abstract

Associating information by means of linking it is a universal concept of human thinking, and by constructivist means, a possible way of learning through exploring and constructing individual information spaces related to a topic or cross topics. An application, facilitating and externalizing this activity by enabling users to create individual hyperlinks inside the environment of the Web, is a promising way to satisfy this exploratory use of information. The focus on an augmentative approach by lining hypertext's linking paradigm, in conjunction with the Web's vast amount of information, opens up for a broad spectrum of potential use scenarios. The possibilities reflect potential complexities concerning usability and limitations of usage. Therefore, preliminary and iterative evaluations are indispensable for meeting these challenges. We discuss a preliminary evaluation of usability and user behavior of said application by a conducted study based on cross-sectional quasi experimental design, using a controlled test scenario and collected client side data that serves as basis for interpretation on user behavior. Results indicate a strong habituation to document-centric processing and storing of information, and the tendency for transferring this behavior onto the more versatile linking mechanism introduced by the application. We argue for applying additional supportive features, specific for facilitating the reduction of complexity on user-side, and a longer testing period, in order to gain better insight into the possible overcome of habitual patterns concerning the tested use scenario.