_{Herbert A. Meyer}

For both online research and the improvement of Web-based information services it is essential to obtain exact behavioral data about the user's interaction with the computer system. Conventional records (e.g. log files, user feedback) are inadequate measures for many purposes. Much more detailed information can be obtained from a time-stamped, event-related protocol of the user's navigation within and between electronic documents. We present a client-side solution for creating such a protocol in an HTML environment, demonstrate its implementation in Web applications and discuss its benefits.

Current online research relies largely on log file analysis, CGI protocols or user feedback (questionnaires, e-mail). The former two methods track the user's navigation between documents, but only with a poor temporal resolution. Activities within a document -- especially in interactive documents -- are not accessible. Questionnaires provide qualitative information, but user feedback can be rare and sometimes unreliable. We developed a quantitative method for tracking users' activities (i.e. clicks or keyboard entries) at a high temporal resolution. Activation of any HTML element (e.g. text fields, buttons, links) can be recorded separately, and can be related to events generated by a dynamic HTML page (e.g. display of text, sounds, etc.). This allows the construction of a detailed profile of the user's interaction with the system. The method has been used to evaluate, among others, an interactive educational Web application ('Poetry Quiz'). It was also employed in browser- based experiments on hypertext navigation and time perception. We propose this simple, inconspicuous and effective procedure as a valuable source of behavioral information for a wide range of applications.

Correspondence concerning this proposition should be addressed to H. A. Meyer, FB 3 - Psychologie, University of Kassel, Holl. Platz, D-34109 Kassel (e-mail: hameyer@hrz.uni-kassel.de).

further on:

Hildebrandt, M., Meyer, H.A. & Janetzko, D. (1998). JAVA-basierte Versuchsdurchführung: Potentiale und Probleme am Beispiel von Reaktionszeitexperimenten. Vortrag im Rahmen der Tagung "German Online Research '98", Mannheim.