Web search behavior of Internet experts and newbies

Searching for relevant information on the World Wide Web is often a laborio us and frustrating task for casual and experienced users. To help improve s earching on the Web based on a better understanding of user characteristics , we investigate what types of knowledge are relevant for Web-based informa tion seeking, and which knowledge structures and strategies are involved. T wo experimental studies are presented, which address these questions from d ifferent angles and with different methodologies. In the first experiment, 12 established Internet experts are first interviewed about search strategi es and then perform a series of realistic search tasks on the World Wide We b. From this study a model of information seeking on the World Wide Web is derived and then tested in a second study. In the second experiment two typ es of potentially relevant types of knowledge are compared directly. Effect s of Web experience and domain-specific background knowledge are investigat ed with a series of search tasks in an economics-related domain (introducti on of the Euro currency). We find differential and combined effects of both Web experience and domain knowledge: while successful search performance r equires the combination of the two types of expertise, specific strategies directly related to Web experience or domain knowledge can be identified. ( C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.