Metrics for the Adaptation of Site Structure

This paper presents an overview of metrics for web site structure and user navigation paths. Particular attention will be paid to the question what these metrics really say about a site and its usage, and how they can be applied for adapting navigation support to the mobile context

The Impact of Link Suggestions on User Navigation and User Perception

The study reported in this paper explores the effects of providing web users with link suggestions that are relevant to their tasks. Results indicate that link suggestions were positively received. Furthermore, users perceived sites with link suggestions as more usable and themselves as less disoriented. The average task execution time was significantly lower than in the control condition and users appeared to navigate in a more structured manner. Unexpectedly, men took more advantage from link suggestions than women

Implicit Measures of Lostness and Success in Web Navigation

In two studies, we investigated the ability of a variety of structural and temporal measures computed from a web navigation path to predict lostness and task success. The user’s task was to find requested target information on specified websites. The web navigation measures were based on counts of visits to web pages and other statistical properties of the web usage graph (such as compactness, stratum, and similarity to the optimal path). Subjective lostness was best predicted by similarity to the optimal path and time on task. The best overall predictor of success on individual tasks was similarity to the optimal path, but other predictors were sometimes superior depending on the particular web navigation task. These measures can be used to diagnose user navigational problems and to help identify problems in website design

Mixed Methodology Research Design in Educational Technology

In recent times many educational researchers have moved away from the traditional purist approach of strictly adopting either a qualitative or quantitative approach to conducting research. Instead they have attempted an eclectic mix of both methods in their research inquiry, combining aspects of both the traditions at various stages of their experimental study such as in the formulation of research questions/hypotheses, design of research methods, analysis of data, and discussion of research findings. Such integration harnesses the strengths of both traditions and underpins a methodologically sound research design. In this article the author recounts details of how a case study anchored to principles of mixed methodology research design was carried out.Ces derniers temps, plusieurs chercheurs en éducation se sont éloignés de la tradition puriste selon laquelle l’on adopte formellement une approche qualitative ou quantitative à la recherche. Ceux-ci optent plutôt pour un mélange éclectique des deux méthodes qui combine des aspects des deux traditions à diverses étapes de leur étude expérimentale, comme lors de la formulation de leurs questions ou leurs hypothèses de recherche, la conception de leurs méthodes de recherche, l’analyse des données et la discussion des résultats de recherche. Une telle intégration s’appuie sur la force des deux traditions et sous-tend une conception de recherche qui est solidement établie sur le plan de la méthodologie. Dans cet article, l’auteur explique le déroulement d’une étude de cas reposant sur des principes d’une méthodologie de recherche mixte

Web Structure Reorganization to Improve Web Navigation Efficiency

The study aims to improve Web navigation efficiency by reorganizing Web structure. Navigation efficiency is defined mathematically for both navigation with / without target destination pages, e.g. for experienced and new users. To help experienced users not to lose their orientation, structure stability is taken into consideration. Stability constraint can also help website designers control the maintaining effort of Web. This study proposes a mathematical programming method to reorganize Web structure in order to achieve better navigation efficiency. Designer can specify the user requirements and how stable the website structure should be. An e-banking example is given to illustrate how the method works in scenarios where user surfs with target destination. This study has the advantage of assessing and improving navigation efficiency and of relieving the designer of tedious chore to modify the structure in transformation