An empirical evaluation of the factors that impact perceived hypertext usability and user performance

This study explicitly investigates the influence of hypertext structure and user interface formats on usability of hypertexts in different tasks of searching and browsing. The way in which different combinations of potential hypertext factors can affect the usability of a hypertext system was also evaluated. Eight conditions of hypertext that differed in link structure (hierarchical and mixed), user task type (browsing and searching), and user interface formats (map-based and text-based) were distinguished. Independent variables were computer self-efficacy, link structure, task type, interface type, and domain knowledge. Dependent variables were identified as perceived ease of use, personal affect, task accuracy, user disorientation, and time efficiency.; Subjects completed five searching/browsing tasks in a hypertext document collection in which specific information had to be found as quickly and as accurately as possible. In the second part of the experiment, real world Web sites were used to measure hypertext usability by using tasks similar to those used in the previous experiment.; Findings of this study indicated that prior domain knowledge had some impact on Web user performance. Another finding was that computer self-efficacy did not affect user perception of hypertext systems in searching tasks. Thus, an understanding of user self-perception of hypertext systems may improve insights into hypertext usability. Also, it was found that what makes a hypertext system efficient does not issue from the type of interface or link structure used to produce a colorful display, but mostly from how various formats combine to promote user performance. The experiment provided interesting results that highlight differences between browsing and searching. Few studies have explored hypertext usability through World Wide Web (WWW) experimentation. Studies have usually investigated these factors separately and in doing so have failed to reveal the interaction among factors. This study explored the effect of factors working together simultaneously.