| This research investigates the effects of: (a) three forms of information structure on Web search engine user performance and preference, and (b) Web search query ambiguity on user performance and preference concerning those forms. Three forms or sorting methods were chosen to display Web search engine results. These sorting methods for results were Categories (i.e., results sorted by semantic similarity), Disambiguating (i.e., results sorted by meaning of the query term), and Ranking (i.e., results sorted by relevancy).; Forty-eight Web search engine users participated in an experiment where the Web search queries were a single term. The independent variables were results sorting method and the level of query ambiguity. The six dependent measures related to both user performance and preference. Results indicated that the preferred results sorting method was affected by the page number of the correct result. When the correct results were all located on the same page (i.e., the first page), the participants preferred the Ranking, Disambiguating, and Categories methods, respectively, when the query term had one, two, and three meanings. When the correct results were not on the first page, the test participants preferred the Categories sorting method when the single-term query had one, two, and three meanings. Preference for the Categories method increased as the page number of the correct result in the Ranking method increased.; Another 48 Web search engine users participated in a similar experiment where the Web search queries were multiterm. The results related to the multiterm queries were similar to those related to the one-meaning, single-term queries. When the correct results were all located on the same page (i.e., the first page), the participants preferred the Ranking method. When the correct results were on subsequent pages, the test participants preferred the Categories method. Just as was found for the single-term, subsequent-page queries, preference for the Categories method increased as the page number of the correct result in the Ranking method increased. The findings generally support Rasmussen's abstraction hierarchy theory. Based on the findings of this research, one can make recommendations concerning how to sort Web search engine results. |
