Information Seeking on University Web Sites: An Exploratory Study
John Christopher Sandvig, Deepinder S. Bajwa · Journal of Computer Information Systems · 2004
This paper explores the relationships between information seeking methods employed by web users, their success at finding information, their satisfaction with information retrieval methods, and their perceptions of web site effectiveness. Data is collected from 48 undergraduate students as they attempt to locate 432 information items on nine university web sites. The study finds that university students have a significant preference for using browsing methods (hyperlinks) over search (via search features) and hybrid (combination) methods. University students are also more successful at finding the information when using the browse method. A significant relationship is also found between perceptions of ease of finding information and web site effectiveness. Qualitative data is collected on the type of information sought by students on university web sites and the most liked and disliked site design features. The results for this exploratory study have important implications for designers of university web sites. Future research directions for additional research on web navigation and web site effectiveness are forwarded.