Needle in a Hyperstack

This study examines the process of searching for information on the Internet by (a) assessing participants' success in finding specific information on the Web, (b) identifying the characteristics of the information search process (e.g., search duration, number of steps used), and (c) identifying the search strategies used and assessing their effectiveness. Subjects were 54 graduate students who were asked to accomplish three relatively simple search tasks: (a) find a picture of the Mona Lisa, (b) find a complete text of Robinson Crusoe or David Copperfield, and (c) find a recipe of an apple pie that was accompanied by a photograph. All search processes performed by each participant were recorded and fully logged by tracking software. Findings showed that overall success in searching information was low. About 46% of the search tasks were not accomplished successfully, and only 15% of the students succeeded in all three tasks. Further analysis reveals nine different search strategies used by the students. The distribution of their usage and effectiveness are presented and discussed.