Ease of use versus user control: an evaluation of Web and non-Web interfaces of online data bases

This paper reports on an investigation comparing searcher experiences with Web and non-Web interfaces to online databases. The study was designed to a ddress the following questions: what is the nature of searcher preferences for Web versus non-Web interfaces to online databases and, more specificall y, what are the characteristics of Web and non-Web based interfaces that he lp or hinder effective searching! Two samples of students enrolled in a gra duate level Advanced Databases Searching course were used as participants i n the research. In this class, the students used several Web and non-Web ba sed online databases. The data collected from self-administered open-ended questionnaires were employed in the analysis to address the research questi ons posed above. Results of the study indicate that some of the functions o f Web interfaces outperform non-Web interfaces: but at the same rime they a re not universally preferred. An important dynamic that surfaced in this st udy which helped to explain searcher preference for one type of interface o ver another was that of user control versus ease of use in the search proce ss. This study concludes with an argument for greater attention to the tens ion between user control and ease of use in the design of effective and use ful interactive online retrieval systems.