Reports findings from a study of searching behavior by over 200,000 users of the Excite search engine. Analysis of over one million queries revealed most people use few search terms, few modified queries, view few Web pages, and rarely use advanced search features. Concludes that Web searching by the public differs significantly from searching of…

As the Web is expanding, the Web traffic is changing, and so are the users. To get an adequate understanding of the Web as a medium, it is of paramount importance to know the users and the dominant usage patterns. The purpose of this paper is to map important aspects of Web usage patterns, Web traffic and Web search behavior. Issues dealt with…

Develops and tests a new behavioral model of information seeking on the Web by combining theoretical elements from information science and organization science. Results suggest that a behavioral framework which relates search motivations and moves may be helpful in analyzing Web-based information seeking. (Author/AEF)

Describes results from focus groups with Web users 10 to 13 years of age in Montreal that explored design criteria for Web portals. Discusses Ask Jeeves for Kids, KidsClick, Lycos Zone, and Yahooligans! and considers screen designs, color, graphics, animation, keyword search capabilities, browsable subject categories, and individual user…

Reviews published studies of Web searching. Proposes a framework for future studies that will facilitate comparison of results. Presents advantages of such a framework, and discusses the implications for the design of Web information retrieval systems studies. Compares/contrasts the searching characteristics of Web users with users of traditional…

This study of 18 novice Internet users employed a structured self-report method to investigate affective and cognitive operations in the following phases of World Wide Web searching: presearch formulation, search statement formulation, search strategy, and evaluation of results. Users also rated their self-confidence as searchers and satisfaction…

Examines how undergraduate students used four search engines--Alta Vista, Excite, Infoseek, and Lycos--to retrieve information for their studies or personal interests and how they evaluated the interaction and search results retrieved by the four engines. Measures were based on five evaluation criteria: relevance, efficiency, utility, user…