How Task Types and User Experiences Affect Information-Seeking Behavior on the Web: Using Eye-tracking and Client-side Search Logs

We investigated what influence task type and user experience had on information-seeking behaviors on the Web by using screen-capture logs and eye-movement data. Five graduate students in library and information science and eleven undergraduate students with other majors performed two different Web searches, a report-writing and a tripplanning task, and their think-aloud protocols, behaviors, and eye movements were recorded. Analyses of the screencapture logs and eye-movement data revealed that the task type and user experience affected the participants’ informationseeking behaviors.