Methods for Manipulating Electronic Documents in Relation to Information Retrieval
María González de Cosío, Mary C. Dyson · Visible Language · 2002
This study is part of preliminary work aiming to find out which graphic elements help users navigate in electronic information space. The study explores alternative methods that can be used to manipulate the content of web pages, looking at their effects on finding specific material and acquiring an understanding of the content. Four versions of an extract from a Human Computer Interaction (HCI) textbook were created: a scrolling document a document with links a paging document a document with frames A series of tasks was carried out by two different groups of readers. Readers within each group were divided between the four versions of the document with each reader reading only one version. Readers were asked to find information; read a text; answer a question; write a synopsis. Measures were taken of speed to locate information, comprehension of an issue and comprehension and memory of the text read. The results indicated that the paging document and document with links enabled readers to find information more quickly. There were no differences among versions in the time taken to read the text, but second semester students read faster than seventh semester. The methods of manipulating electronic documents offer advantages and disadvantages depending on the purpose of the text and the readers' tasks. It seems that if readers wish to find information quickly from an electronic document, the method of manipulating the document should be different from that applied to a large document which needs to be remembered. INTRODUCTION Electronic documents have become an indispensable tool for almost all facets of everyday life. Readers of electronic documents can perform a variety of activities using the computer: read, search for information, buy, subscribe, communicate, answer questions, place orders, etc. Regardless of their tasks, readers have to search, read and make decisions. Up to now, there exists little information on how readers are supported by the design of electronic documents. Web designers are guided by intuitive notions without knowing which elements can support readers and which other elements interfere with their interaction with computers. The development of theories of scope or frameworks that can predict how some design features can work in specific circumstances would support design decisions for better documents (Wright, 1998). This study attempts to find out how methods of manipulation affect readers' performance in searching for information in hypertext, Navigation has been one of the problems in readers' interaction with electronic documents. The main concern is how readers adjust to technology when they are looking for information. Some of these adjustments are described below. 1) Readers have to learn a new language and new methods of manipulation and interaction with electronic documents: > Readers have to learn the basic vocabulary to perform any task, such as 'download, browse, bookmark, link,' etc., and have to learn a new graphic language of icons displayed on the screen (Honeywell, 2000; Goonetilleke, 2001). Some readers may also have to learn these new terms in a foreign language as they have no meaning in their own language. > Readers have to learn basic technical manipulations to navigate, such as the use of back-forward buttons, horizontal and vertical scroll, paging, links or frames, download time, history list, etc. (Schwarz, Beldie and Pastoor, 1983; Dyson and Kipping, 1997; van Nimwegen, Pouw and van Oostendorp, 1999). 2) Readers are presented with new ways of displaying information: > Readers find a variety of images, text, links, buttons, sound, elements in motion; they face a new medium and new appearance not known in print. > Readers have difficulty in recognizing the type of document they are accessing, in terms of size, form, contents, depth, interactivity, etc. …