Browsing the underdeveloped Web: An experiment on the Arabic Medical Web Directory

While the Web has grown significantly in recent years, some portions of the Web remain largely underdeveloped, as shown in a lack of high-quality content and functionality. An example is the Arabic Web, in which a lack of well-structured Web directories limits users’ ability to browse for Arabic resources. In this research, we proposed an approach to building Web directories for the underdeveloped Web and developed a proof-of-concept prototype called the Arabic MedicalWeb Directory (AMedDir) that supports browsing of over 5,000 Arabic medical Web sites and pages organized in a hierarchical structure. We conducted an experiment involving Arab participants and found that the AMedDir significantly outperformed two benchmark ArabicWeb directories in terms of browsing effectiveness, efficiency, information quality, and user satisfaction. Participants expressed strong preference for the AMedDir and provided many positive comments. This research thus contributes to developing a useful Web directory for organizing the information in the Arabic medical domain and to a better understanding of how to support browsing on the underdeveloped Web.