Facilitate Complex Search Tasks in Hypertext by Externalizing Functional Properties of a Work Domain

Abstract

The premise of this study was that practical problem solving within a complex work domain (ergonomic design and integration of computer workstations) could be enhanced by a hypertext representation of that work domain. Two alternative hypertext representations were developed. The first consisted of an ecological interface design based on the means-end abstraction hierarchy (AH) approach (Vicente & Rasmussen, 1992). In this design, the goal-relevant constraints and functional relations within the domain were explicitly represented on the interface. The second hypertext interface was based on a more traditional classification hierarchy (CH) in which supraordinate categories were broken down into their components (part-whole relation). The relative effectiveness of the 2 approaches was compared using an experimental procedure in which participants solved ergonomic problems of increasing complexity. The results supported the following research hypotheses: (a) When performing a complex or problem-solving task, participants using the AH interface spent less time and experienced less navigation disorientation than those participants using the CH interface; (b) as the task complexity increased, the advantage of the AH interface over the CH interface increased as measured by search time and navigation disorientation; (c) no difference was found between the 2 interfaces for the simple task; and (d) participants using the AH interface also reported experiencing less navigation disorientation than those participants using the CH interface. This article recommends the AH interface as a more effective semantic representation of an interface for a hypertext application with a complex document in support of complex and problem-solving search tasks.