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ABSTRACT
Searching for information on the internet has become a daily activity. It is considered to be a complex cognitive activity that involves visual attention. Many studies have demonstrated that users’ information search are affected both by the spatial configuration of words and the elements displayed on the screen: elements that are used to structure web pages. One of these elements, the web panel, contains information. Web panel is a rectangular area with a colored background that was used to highlighting content presented in this specific rectangular area. Our general hypothesis was that the presence of a panel on a web page would affect the structure of a word display, as a result, information search accuracy. We carried out an experiment in which we manipulated the presence vs. the absence of a panel, as well as its orientation on the screen (vertical vs. horizontal). Twenty participants were asked to answer questions while their eye movements were recorded. Results showed that the presence of a panel resulted in reduced accuracy and shorter response times. Panel orientation affected scanpaths, especially when they were orientated vertically. We discuss these findings and suggest ways in which this research could be developed further in future.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dorothée Pourradier for creating the experimental materials and collecting the data, Mark Jayes for proof-reading the manuscript, and the anonymous reviewers for their relevant comments that have enabled us to improve this manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 dots per inch.