Web Navigation Systems for Information Seeking

Web browser is used as the major tool for information seeking on the Internet today. However, because of the vast information space on the Web, people often feel entangled and disoriented when overloaded with massive amount of information, a problem often referred to as “getting lost”.

Web navigation systems provide assistance to guide users in the web information space. A good navigation system can ease the problem of getting lost and improve information seeking effectiveness. Common navigation tools include menu, sitemap, navigation trail, etc. Navigation is also a key factor of web usability (Palmer, 2002) which studies the ease-of-use of web applications and interfaces.

Here I present an evaluation framework to examine major web navigation systems from a human information behavior and user interface perspective. The framework focuses on content structure and ease-of-access, two of the most important features of web navigation systems. The advantages and weaknesses of each type of web navigation system will be discussed.

I organized it in a course module (see below) and the manuscript can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265685771_Web_Navigation_Systems_for_Information_Seeking

Web navigation systems for information seeking