Vertical versus dynamic menus on the world wide web: Eye tracking study measuring the influence of menu design and task complexity on user performance and subjective preference

Leuthold, Stefan; Schmutz, Peter; Bargas-Avila, Javier A.; Tuch, Alexandre N.; Opwis, Klaus

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.09.009

Cited by 64 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Previous research on HLEs compared different types of graphical overviews (e.g., Amadieu et al, 2009;Bezdan, Kester & Kirschner, 2013) or different types of hierarchical menus (e.g., Leuthold, Schmutz, Bargas-Avila, Tuch & Opwis, 2011;Puerta Melguizo et al, 2012).…”

Section: Navigational Support: Hierarchical or Tag-cloudmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning and navigating in hypertext: Navigational support by hierarchical menu or tag cloud?

Walhout

Brand‐Gruwel

Jarodzka

et al. 2015

Computers in Human Behavior

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As hypertext learning environments (HLE) are widely used in education, it is important to study and know the effects and consequences of its use. HLEs are non-linear which means that students have to develop ways of navigating through them. Thus, developing interfaces that facilitate and even guide navigation is important for learning. Research showed that successful learning in HLEs depends on both learner characteristics and HLE features. This study investigated an HLE navigation feature (navigational support with either a tag-cloud or conventional hierarchical menu), task complexity (fact-finding vs. information-gathering task) and a user characteristic (gender). Results show that neither navigational support nor gender is associated with differences in task performance. However, there are differences in information processing. Participants using a tag clouds looked longer at the navigational support and shorter at the overview pages. Combined with fewer revisits of webpages in the tag cloud condition, this indicates a more focused selection of pages. The deeper processing of information needed for the information-gathering task was reflected in fewer visits to, but longer viewing times of pages. As no differences in task performance were found, tag clouds seem to be as effective for performance as more traditional navigation structures for navigational support.

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Section: Navigational Support: Hierarchical or Tag-cloudmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning and navigating in hypertext: Navigational support by hierarchical menu or tag cloud?

Walhout

Brand‐Gruwel

Jarodzka

et al. 2015

Computers in Human Behavior

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show abstract

“…Another study worthy of consideration is by Leuthold, Schmutz, Bargas-Avila, Tuch, and Opwis [8]. This was a study where the authors compared three types of vertical menu positioned at the left side of the page.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact on Effectiveness and User Satisfaction of Menu Positioning on Web Pages

Murano¹,

Oenga²

2012

IJACSA

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Abstract-The authors of this paper are conducting research into the usability of menu positioning on web pages. Other researchers have also done work in this area, but the results are not conclusive and therefore more work still needs to be done in this area. The design and results of an empirical experiment, investigating the usability of menu positioning on a supermarket web site, are presented in this paper. As a comparison, the authors tested a left vertical menu and a fisheye menu placed horizontally at the top of a page in a prototype supermarket web site against a real supermarket web site using a horizontal menu placed at the top of a page. Few significant results were observed, which gave rise to the conclusion that overall there were not many differences between the tested menu types. Furthermore, an explanation for the results observed is discussed in terms of cognitive, physical, functional and sensory affordances. It is suggested that observation of the affordances may be a more crucial aspect to menu design than the actual menu positioning.

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“…Both arguments will be discussed to the extent that they make conflicting predictions RUNNING HEAD: Menus in Arabic websites regarding Arabic users' perceptions of menu location. The argument of a conventional design considers that users have initial expectations about the location of particular objects in websites, and their performance may be hindered if designers include objects in unexpected locations [5,6]. Previous studies conducted with users from English and German speaking countries have shown that users expect navigation menus to be located on the left-hand side of the website, which is the convention in Western language websites [7,8,9].…”

Section: Preferences For Menu Location In Websitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Location of navigation menus in websites: an experimental study with Arabic users

Salmerón

Mallouh

Kammerer³

2015

Univ Access Inf Soc

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While Arabic users represent by far the fastest growing language population on the Internet, research about how the peculiarities of Arabic language may shape users' web interactions is still scarce. The preferences of Arabic users for menu location in websites have been studied. Two competing arguments have been proposed regarding the best location of menus in websites: conventional design (navigation menu should be placed on that side where users expect it based on previous experience) and reading direction (navigation menu should be placed on that side where readers are used to start off reading, so that the navigation menu is likely to be attended first). In an experiment, twenty-five participants with Arabic as mother language (who also spoke English) were briefly presented with screenshots from websites presented in Arabic or English and with menus located either on the left or the right, and rated their perceived visual appeal, usability, and trustworthiness. Results showed that participants judged the Arabic websites more positive when menus were located in the right-rather than in the left-hand side. In contrast, no differences for menu location were observed for English websites. These results are discussed in light of the conventional design and reading direction hypothesis and with regard to their implications for the design of Arabic websites.

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Vertical versus dynamic menus on the world wide web: Eye tracking study measuring the influence of menu design and task complexity on user performance and subjective preference

Cited by 64 publications

References 18 publications

Learning and navigating in hypertext: Navigational support by hierarchical menu or tag cloud?

Learning and navigating in hypertext: Navigational support by hierarchical menu or tag cloud?

The Impact on Effectiveness and User Satisfaction of Menu Positioning on Web Pages

Location of navigation menus in websites: an experimental study with Arabic users

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