A study of user effort as measured using query construction and interface selection

This pilot study was designed to examine user beliefs and behaviors on the selection and use of search features and search interfaces. The study consisted of five weeks of user logs taken from an Ultraseek server and surveys administered immediately before and after this time period. The survey results indicated a strong correlation between a user's level of effort and their perceived benefit of that effort. Results from the log files were inconclusive but suggested a reluctance to use the advanced search interface. Reported feature use increased by more than 35% over the five weeks. This raises the question of how the behavior of an Internet user changes over time. Further study into the increased use of features and the best interface to provide them is recommended