User Behaviour during Web Search as Part of Information Gathering

This paper presents the results of a questionnaire on user behaviour during searching the Web as part of information gathering tasks. In this study, users' Web activities related to finding information, comparing information, managing information, and re-finding information, using different Web search and navigation tools, used for information gathering tasks are explored. The results indicate that current Web tools lack important functionalities for supporting how users find, re-find, and manage information during Web information gathering tasks. Furthermore, the results indicate that visual characteristics of search results, re-finding tools that bookmark complete and partial search sessions with user annotation, and integrated information management features may be useful in improving how users gather information on the Web.