Investigating the Relationship between Web Object Characteristics and Cognitive Conflict Using Mouse-tracking

ABSTRACT

The present study used mouse-tracking to investigate the impacts of web object characteristics on cognitive conflict during a naturalistic website use task. An online survey (N = 191) gathered baseline location typicality ratings for common web objects. An in-person laboratory study (N = 101) presented images of popular websites with target objects in expected (e.g., Cart, top right) or unexpected (e.g., Cart, top left) locations. Participants searched for and clicked on targets while continuous mouse trajectories were recorded. Mouse-tracking measures revealed evidence for cognitive conflict for three of the targets when they appeared in unexpected locations (Menu, Cart, Account). Response times and error rates were unaffected, and results were robust to variability in familiarity with targets and websites. These results suggest that mouse-tracking can be used to examine the relationship between target characteristics and cognitive conflict, and that cognitive conflict depends on the identity and location of web objects.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to User Experience Center (UXC) colleagues and staff (Sydney Bee, Emilea Avery, Erin Fegely), research assistants (Helen Xinchang He, Cassandra French-Majersky, Pere Perewari), and Bentley’s Information Design & Corporate Communication department colleagues. We are also grateful colleagues in Bentley’s Marketing department for providing access to Bentley’s SONA participant pool, and to the Jeanne & Dan Valente Center for Arts & Sciences.

Disclosure of potential conflict of interest

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Bentley University.

Notes on contributors

Jonathan D. Ericson

Jonathan D. Ericson is an Assistant Professor of Information Design & Corporate Communication (IDCC) at Bentley University. His research in human-computer interaction focuses on applying emerging technologies to healthcare, architecture, sustainability, data visualization, and creative interface design. He holds a PhD in Cognitive Science from Brown University.

William S. Albert

William S. Albert is currently the Executive Director of the Bentley University User Experience Center. His research interests focus on human-computer interaction, quantitative user research methods, and user experience strategy. He is currently the co-editor in chief of the Journal of Usability Studies. He holds a PhD in Geography (spatial cognition) from Boston University.

Benjamin P. Bernard

Benjamin P. Bernard is currently an M.S. candidate in Bentley University’s Human Factors in Information Design (HFID) program. His research interests include human-computer interaction, individual differences in website use, and statistical analysis.