Web searching by the “general public”: ...

an individual differences perspective

an article by Nigel Ford, Barry Eaglestone, Andrew Madden and Martin Whittle published in Journal of Documentation Volume 65 Issue 4 (2009)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of a number of human individual differences on the web searching of a sample of the general public.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 91 members of the general public performed 195 controlled searches. Search activity and ratings of search difficulty and success were recorded and statistically analysed. The study was exploratory, and sought to establish whether there is a prima facie case for further systematic investigation of the selection and combination of variables studied here.
Findings
Results revealed a number of interactions between individual differences, the use of different search strategies, and levels of perceived search difficulty and success. The findings also suggest that the open and closed nature of searches may affect these interactions. A conceptual model of these relationships is presented.
Practical implications
Better understanding of factors affecting searching may help one to develop more effective search support, whether in the form of personalised search interfaces and mechanisms, adaptive systems, training or help systems. However, the findings reveal a complexity and variability suggesting that there is little immediate prospect of developing any simple model capable of driving such systems.
Originality/value
There are several areas of this research that make it unique: the study’s focus on a sample of the general public; its use of search logs linked to personal data; its development of a novel search strategy classifier; its temporal modelling of how searches are transformed over time; and its illumination of four different types of experienced searcher, linked to different search behaviours and outcomes.

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