Reflections Following the Fourth Human Factors and the Web Conference: How Far We Have Progressed and Why We Need the Compendium?
Chris Forsythe, jcforsy@sandia.gov
Sandia National Laboratories
On June 5th, the Fourth Human Factors and the Web Conference was held in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. First, I would like to congratulate all those who worked to make the conference a success. This includes Judy Cantor and those at AT&T who organized the conference, those who prepared and presented papers, and those who attended. It may be argued that the Human Factors and the Web (HFWeb) Conference offers the best program related to human aspects of the Internet available at this time. A lot of people have devoted countless hours to attaining this distinction and we owe them our gratitude.
To understand how far this field has progressed, we must consider where we were three years ago when the first HFWeb Conference was held. It was 1995. Two years had passed since release of the Mosaic web browser by NCSA. Most working in technical fields knew of the World Wide Web (WWW), but it was not unusual to encounter colleagues who did not have access to the WWW. Human Factors, HCI (Human-Computer Interface), Usability and similar departments were being assigned their first web-related projects. Labs were being established to test web interfaces. Tools were being introduced to analyze web usage. Many of us were well versed in traditional HCI, but wondered what new issues and challenges would be presented by this new environment, wherein interconnectivity and information accessibility are paramount.
In 1995, any knowledge of the behavior of web users was a valued commodity. There was excitement in meeting a colleague who'd conducted usability tests, and even better, collected empirical data. A small community had emerged that was hungry for information. In subsequent years, this community has grown to a sizable contingent. Likewise, there has been a corresponding expansion in our knowledge of the behavior of web users. At the Fourth HFWeb Conference, we were treated to a demonstration of how far our knowledge has advanced.
Within any field, the progression of knowledge tends to follow a sequence wherein initial observations are followed by derivation of trends and later, postulation of principles. In the material presented at the Fourth HFWeb Conference, all three phases in the development of knowledge were noted. Jori Clark discussed how adoption of the Internet by other nations tends to follow the U.S. model. Initially, educational institutes predominate with the appearance of online services and ISPs appearing much later. Additionally, content evolves with commerce being last. Here we have a trend, or if as suggested, adoption is dictated by technical considerations, we have a principle.
This is only one of several examples. Jakob Nielsen's assertions concerning the greater significance of content, as compared to interactivity, also comes to mind. Whereas the bulk of traditional HCI has addressed interactivity, users can adapt to bad interactive features, yet may never overcome poor content. Given the preponderance of content-based web interfaces, as compared to traditional user interfaces, this implies a principle that generally distinguishes web HCI from traditional HCI, as well as the methods we employ for design and testing.
Still, much of the information presented may be best characterized as observation. Eric Grose discussed parameters that influence penetration of Intranet products. Scott Isensee, Roger Tilson and Jack Yu each presented results from testing different web interfaces. There has been some organization of such observations as evidenced by WAMMI and WebSAT, both tools that aid in evaluating web page design. However, I would like to assert that more effort is needed to collate the expanding wealth of observations so that trends might be extracted and principles advanced.
Therefore, I see the Compendium now being developed by the prospective Internet Technical Group (ITG) as a resource of enormous value. Its purpose is to compile the collective works of those exploring behavioral facets of Internet use. By organizing and categorizing these works, convergent findings may be recognized. Where findings do not converge, hypotheses may be advanced to explain the discrepancy and through further investigation, trends and principles derived. I hope to emphasize the emergent properties of such a collection of information. Much like the Internet itself, the value of any given contribution may be marginal, but by combining numerous contributions into an organized body of knowledge, a treasured resource is created. Therefore, I'd like to encourage members of ITG to look at the data you have collected and if it can be shared, make it available to the community at large through the Compendium project.
For information concerning the Compendium and how you might contribute or participate in its development, contact Rakhi Rajani at rakhi@dircom.co.uk.
© Internet Technical Group
Last update: September 8, 1998
URL: http://www.sandia.gov/itg/newsletter/sep98/reflections.html
hosted by Sandia National Labs
Disclaimer: Neither Sandia Corporation, the United States Government, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately-owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Sandia Corporation, the United States Government, or any agency thereof. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Sandia Corporation, the United States Government or any agency thereof.