Hypertext Information Retrieval Performance And Network Speed, Navigation Mode And Window To Display The Characteristics Of The Relationship

Hypertext is a new technology of information management, which has been used widely in many fields, such as CAI, CSCW, and WWW. In the design of hypertext system, it is necessary to consider both characters of hypertext and human factors issues involved in browser design. Based on the previous researches, this paper examined the effects of the types of window display and window management of browser on hypertext information retrieval in the conditions of different networking speed and navigation modes, in order to provide with human factors principles for improving the design of hypertext and browser.The study is composed of three experiments:Experiment 1:The effects of navigation modes on the information retrieval in hypertexts with single window or multi windows.Experiment 2: The effects of window management styles and navigation modes on the information retrieval in a hypertext.Experiment 3: The effects of networking speed on the information retrieval in a hypertext with single window or multi windows. The results are as follows:(1) Navigation and networking speed modes affected the performance in hypertext information retrieval significantly. The appropriate navigation tools could be used to speed up hypertext information retrieval and reduce the additional nodes user browsed. An increase in networking speed would also speed up hypertext information retrieval, reduce users' disorientation and mental workload.(2) If some appropriate navigation tools were used in hypertext, the user would seldom use browser for navigation, in addition, the types of web pages would not affect the performance of information retrieval.(3) The types of web pages, single or multi-windows, affected the performance of information retrieval if no navigation tools were used in a hypertext or the networking speed was lower. The web pages displayed in single window would make users browse less additional nodes, but the speed of information retrieval would decrease. Meanwhile the contrary trend would appear in the condition of multi-windows display.(4) The types of windows management affected users' performance and mental workload significantly in hypertext information retrieval. Additional nodes users browsed would increase when tiled windows were used, compared with the other types of windows management. Moreover, users' mental workload would be reduced in the condition of cascading windows display.