Browsing in hypertext: a cognitive study

With the growth of hypertext a n d mult imedia applications tha t s u p p o r t a n d encourage browsing it is t ime to t a k e a penet ra t ing look a t browsing behavior. Several dimensions of browsing a r e examined, to find out: first, what is browsing a n d what cognitive processes a r e associated with it; second, is there a browsing strategy, and if so, a r e there any differences between how subjec t -area experts and novices browse; a n d finally, how can this knowledge be applied to improve the design of hypertext systems. Two groups of students, subjec t -area exper ts a n d novices, were studied while browsing a Macintosh H y p e r c a r d application on the subject of T h e Vietnam War . A protocol analysis technique was used to g a t h e r a n d analyze data. Components of the G O M S model were used to describe the goals, opera tors , methods, a n d selection rules observed. Three browsing strategies were identified: 1) search-oriented browse, scanning a n d reviewing information relevant to a fixed task, 2) reviewbrowse, scanning and reviewing interesting information in the presence of t rans ient browse goals t ha t represent changing tasks, a n d 3) scan-browse, scanning for interesting information (without review). Most subjects primari ly used review-browse interspersed with search-oriented browse. Within this strategy, comparisons between subjec t -area experts a n d novices revealed differences in tactics: exper ts browsed in more depth , seldom used referential links, selected different kinds of topics, and viewed information differently than d id novices. Based on these findings, suggestions a r e m a d e to hypertext developers.