Overview of Navigation Readings

1
Overview of Navigation Readings

• Matt Koehler
• CEP 909
• Nov 14, 2001

2
Nielson

• The problem of being lost in hyperspace
• Strategies for avoiding it
• Guided Tours
• Easy to Backtrack
• History Lists
• Bookmarks
• Overview Diagrams (many forms - avoid spaghetti)
• Use of Metaphors

3
Dee-Lucas Study Overview

• Contrast Overview is a listing vs. Overview is
  hierarchically organized vs. No overview
  (traditional text).
• Students read all text, then left to review with
  the listing or hierarchical organization
• Subjects Completed Summary of main points,
  free-recall of all content, recall of unit names,
  useability evaluation.
• Experiment 1 Vague learning goal (study for some
  unspecified test
• Experiment 2 Goal was to write a summary
• Experiment 3 More vs. Less segmented hypertext

4
Dee-Lucas Study Findings

• Useability Hierarchical reported as easier to
  use than simple listing
• Recall of Unit Titles Groups with an overview
  much better at recall titles (no diff linear vs.
  hierarchical)
• Locations Hierarchical group was better able to
  locate the information in the hypertext
• Review Strategies Less subjects reviewed
  material in linearly structured overviews in Exp
  1, but not Exp 2. List overviews lead to LONGER
  time spent reviewing.

5
Dee-Lucas Study Findings

• Free Recall No differences
• Summary Writing linearly structured overviews
  led to less ideas in the review
• More segmented hypertext Longer times to select
  something to read, Able to recall more titles
  (but there are more titles), less able to recall
  common titles, better able to recall location of
  information, less likely to review irrelevant
  information
• Recalling and Reviewing in more segmented
  hypertext No difference on number of ideas
  recalled, but more likely to recall details and
  less big ideas.

6
Dee-Lucas Summary

• Structure (hierarchal) Better recall, more
  efficient use of software. Might be bad that
  students dont encounter off-task information.
• Less structure Might be better for extremely
  motivated learners with a particular learning
  goal.

7
Ford and Chen Overview

• Seek to relate learning styles with what subjects
  do with what they learn
• Cognitive styles
• Field Dependence the degree to which a persons
  perception of information is affected by the
  surrounding perceptual contextual field.
  (Embedded Figures Test.). These people require
  more external structure and instructions.
• Field Independent Provide their own structure,
  think outside the box, etc.
• Holists vs. Serialists

8
Ford and Chen Results

• Field Dependent People Make greater use of the
  map, less use of the index, less use of back/fwd
  buttons, spend time on higher-order ideas, less
  time on details, no learning differences
• Learning was predicted by Past experience (web
  page use and internet use -- should have picked a
  different task).
• Experience predicts more pages viewed, more
  details being explored, less time learning, less
  practice.
• BIG PICTURE Style (field dependence) predicts
  strategy, other things like experience predict
  how much is learned.

9
Lawless Summary

• Seeks to characterize the patterns of hypermedia
  use
• Apathetic users (dont do much or learn much)
• Knowledge seekers (explore links to learn things,
  spend time on screens)
• Feature explorers (want to try a little bit of
  every tool in the system).
• Attempts to relate prior knowledge and interest
  to these patterns

10
Lawless Summary

• Feature explorers - seem to be low-prior
  knowledge people who get sucked in by the bells
  and whistles
• Apathetic users - Either already high knowledge
  people or low interest people
• Knowledge seekers - People with moderate amounts
  of prior knowledge

11
Big Big Picture

• The big question Is hypermedia better than
  linear text? The answer it depends.
• On users
• On the text
• On what tools are provided
• Be careful to avoid getting people lost in
  hyperspace
• The structure of the information matters -- it
  affects what people learn and how they use the
  system.
• How people use the system is probably influenced
  by a lot of things
• Prior Knowledge
• Learning Style
• Individual differences (age, sex, income, etc)
• Better make systems that allow different uses of
  the system so that these differences can be
  accommodated