Web-based interaction: A review of three important human factors

Abstract

a b s t r a c tWith the rapid development of information technology, the World Wide Web has been widely used in various applications, such as search engines, online learning and electronic commerce. These applications are used by a diverse population of users with heterogeneous backgrounds, in terms of their knowledge, skills, and needs. Therefore, human factors are key issues for the development of Web-based applications, leading research into human factors to grow significantly in the past decade. This paper identifies and reviews three important human factors that have been examined in existing empirical studies, including gender differences, prior knowledge, and cognitive styles. The main results from the analysis include that: (a) females have more disorientation problems than males; (b) flexible paths are more beneficial to experts while structured content is more useful to novices; and (c) Field Dependent and Field Independent users prefer to employ different search strategies. In addition to reviewing the existing empirical studies, this paper also highlights areas of future research.

Individual motivations and demographic differences in social virtual world uses: An exploratory investigation in Second Life

“…This complements the literature regarding the influence of individual differences on individual motivations in information system adoption (Venkatesh et al, 2003), Internet uses (Teo & Lim, 2000;Weiser, 2000), web-based interaction (Chen & Macredie, 2010), and other technology usage behaviors. Future research on SVW usage (acceptance or continuance) should consider the potential influence of individual characteristics such as demographic and situational factors.…”

“…Chen and Macredie (2010) found that females and males express different behaviors and demonstrate different perceptions and attitudes towards web-based interaction. Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis (2003) posited that individual motivations for IT adoption are contingent upon gender, age, and experience.…”

Negotiation based adaptive learning sequences: Combining adaptivity and adaptability

“…Researchers found that students have individual differences, such as gender, prior knowledge, cognitive styles, learning styles, preferences, and that these differences may lead to different learning outcomes, such as performance, behaviors, and motivation (Cassidy, 2012;Chen, 2010;Chen & Macredie, 2010;Chen & Sun, 2012;Jonassen & Grabowski, 1993). Therefore, research has investigated the impacts of individual differences on learning outcomes, in order to design appropriate learning supports for specific students, and for the purpose of developing approaches for providing individual instruction.…”

Gender difference in web search perceptions and behavior: Does it vary by task performance?

“…However, previous research has shown that students vary widely in their ability to find and retrieve information in loosely structured information environments (e.g., Brand-Gruwel, Wopereis, & Vermetten, 2005;Tabatabai & Shore, 2005), such as the Internet. A recent review by Chen and Macredie (2010) suggests that major differences between males' and females' online information seeking lie in their navigation patterns, attitudes and perceptions. In general, literature has suggested that males report lower levels of computer anxiety than females (Karavidas, Lim, & Katsikas, 2004); females lag behind males in the degree to which they are experienced with and motivated by technology (Leong & Hawamdeh, 1999;Light, Littleton, Bale, Joiner, & Messer, 2000;Schumacher & Morahan-Martin, 2001).…”