Users, tasks and the Web: Their impact on the information seeking behavior

This study investigated how cognitive style and online database search experience influence users' search performance on two tasks carried out on a large university Web site. Search performance was measured both by the time spent and by the number of nodes visited for the completion of a task. The users' choice of navigational tools was also examined. Forty-eight undergraduate students participated in the study. Based on their cognitive style (field-dependent and independent) and their online database search experience (novice and experienced), the participants were divided into four groups. Each participant was asked to search for information on the Web in order to complete two search tasks (factual and topical searches). All online search navigation decisions and nodes visited were recorded in real time. Results indicates that the difference in performance created by a participant's cognitive style was almost erased in those participants who had considerable online database experience. This kind of interaction between cognitive style and online database search experience was also observed in the choice of navigational tools. Based on findings, suggestions for Web training and the development of some navigational tools were made.