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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2019

Dania Bilal and Li-Min Huang

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the readability and level of word complexity of search engine results pages (SERPs) snippets and associated web pages between Google and…

3529

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the readability and level of word complexity of search engine results pages (SERPs) snippets and associated web pages between Google and Bing.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employed the Readability Test Tool to analyze the readability and word complexity of 3,000 SERPs snippets and 3,000 associated pages in Google and Bing retrieved on 150 search queries issued by middle school children.

Findings

A significant difference was found in the readability of SERPs snippets and associated web pages between Google and Bing. A significant difference was also observed in the number of complex words in snippets between the two engines but not in associated web pages. At the engine level, the readability of Google and Bing snippets was significantly higher than associated web pages. The readability of Google SERPs snippets was at a much higher level than those of Bing. The readability of snippets in both engines mismatched with the reading comprehension of children in grades 6–8.

Research limitations/implications

The data corpus may be small. Analysis relied on quantitative measures.

Practical implications

Practitioners and other mediators should mitigate the readability issue in SERPs snippets. Researchers should consider text readability and word complexity simultaneously with other factors to obtain the nuanced understanding of young users’ web information behaviors. Additional theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.

Originality/value

This study measured the readability and the level of word complexity embedded in SERPs snippets and compared them to respective web pages in Google and Bing. Findings provide further evidence of the readability issue of SERPs snippets and the need to solve this issue through system design improvements.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 71 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

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Article
Publication date: 24 January 2025

Dania Bilal and Li-Min Cassandra Huang

This paper aims to investigate user voice-switching behavior in voice assistants (VAs), embodiments and perceived trust in information accuracy, usefulness and intelligence. The…

15

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate user voice-switching behavior in voice assistants (VAs), embodiments and perceived trust in information accuracy, usefulness and intelligence. The authors addressed four research questions: RQ1. What is the nature of users’ voice-switching behavior in VAs? RQ2: What are user preferences for embodied voice interfaces (EVIs), and do their preferred EVIs influence their decision to switch the voice on their VAs? RQ3: What are the users’ perceptions of their VAs concerning: a. information accuracy, b. usefulness, c. intelligence and d. the most important characteristics they must possess? RQ4: Do users prefer their voice interface to match their characteristics (age, gender, accent and race/ethnicity)?

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a 52-question survey questionnaire to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The population was undergraduate students (freshmen and sophomores) at a research university in the USA. The students were enrolled in two required courses with a research participation assignment offered for credits. Students must register for research participation credits in the SONA Research Participation System www.sona-systems.com/platform/research-management/ Registered students cannot be invited or sampled to participate in a research study. There were 1,700 students enrolled in both courses. After the survey’s URL was posted in SONA, the authors received (n = 632) responses. Of these, (n = 150) completed the survey and provided valid responses.

Findings

Participants (43%) switched the voice interface in their VAs. They preferred American and British accents but trusted the latter. The British accent with a male voice was more trusted than the American accent with a female voice. Voice-switching decisions varied in the case of most and least preferred EVIs. Participants preferred EVIs that matched their characteristics. Most trusted their VAs’ information accuracy because they used the internet to find information, reflecting inadequate mental models. Lack of trust is attributed to misunderstanding requests and inability to respond accurately. A significant correlation was found between the participants’ perceived intelligence of their VAs and trust in information accuracy.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the wide variability in the data (e.g. 84% White, 6% Asian and 6% Black), the authors did not perform a statistical test to identify the significance between the selected EVIs and participants’ races or ethnicities. The self-reported survey questionnaire may be prone to inaccuracy. The participants’ interest in earning research credit for participation in this study and using SONA is a potential bias. The EVIs the authors used as embodiments are limited in their representation of people from diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities, ages and genders. However, they could be examples for building prototypes to test in VAs.

Practical implications

Educators and information professionals should lead the way in offering artificial intelligence (AI) literacy programs to enable young adults to form more adequate mental models of VAs and support their learning and interactions. VA designers should address the failures and other issues the participants experienced in VAs to minimize frustrations. They should also train machine learning models on large data sets of complex queries to augment success. Furthermore, they should consider augmenting VAs’ personification with EVIs to enrich voice interactions and enhance personalization. Researchers should use a mixed research method with data triangulation instead of only a survey.

Social implications

There is a dire need to teach young adults AI literacy skills to enable them to build adequate mental models of VAs. Failures in VAs could affect users’ willingness to use them in the future. VAs can be effective teaching and learning tools, supporting students’ autonomous and personalized learning. Integrating EVIs with diverse characteristics could advance inclusivity in designing VAs and support personalization beyond language, accent and gender.

Originality/value

This study advances research on user voice-switching behavior in VAs, which has hardly been investigated in VA research. It brings attention to users’ experiential learning and the need for exposure to AI literacy to enable them to form adequate mental models of VAs. This study contributes to research on personifying VAs through EVIs with diverse characteristics to visualize voice interactions. Reasons for not switching the voice interface due to satisfaction with the current voice or a lack of knowledge of this feature did not support the status quo theory. Incorporating satisfaction and lack of knowledge as new factors could advance this theory. Switching the voice interface to avoid visualizing the least preferred EVIs in VAs is a new theme emerging from this study. Users’ trust in VAs’ information accuracy is intertwined with perceived intelligence and usefulness, but perceived intelligence is the strongest factor influencing trust.

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Article
Publication date: 5 February 2018

Rachel Fleming-May, Regina Mays, Teresa Walker, Amy Forrester, Carol Tenopir, Dania Bilal and Suzie Allard

While assessment and user experience (UX) have been identified as areas of growing focus in all types of libraries, there is currently little infrastructure to prepare students…

840

Abstract

Purpose

While assessment and user experience (UX) have been identified as areas of growing focus in all types of libraries, there is currently little infrastructure to prepare students for these roles (Applegate, 2016; Askew and Theodore-Shusta, 2013; Nitecki et al., 2015; Oakleaf, 2013; Passonneau and Erickson, 2014). As a step toward addressing this gap, a team from an American Library Association-accredited master’s program situated at a large public land-grant institution (LGU) worked with practitioner partners from academic libraries and information agencies to develop a new model for preparing information professionals with assessment and UX expertise. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In fall of 2015, faculty members applied for funding from the US Institute for Museum and Library Services Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians program for a program to develop formalized assessment and UX training in Library and Information Science (LIS) education. The student cohort would have interests in two areas: academic libraries and specialized information agencies. The two groups would complete much of the same coursework, earn the ALA-accredited master’s degree and have the opportunity to engage in co-curricular activities focused on UX and assessment. However, each sub-group would also pursue a subject-specific curriculum. In April 2016, IMLS funded the program.

Findings

In addition to reviewing the literature related to best practices in curriculum development, the authors describe the process of designing the program, including the curriculum, co-curricular mentoring and practicum opportunities, and the tools developed to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

At a time in which the library practitioner and LIS educator communities are contemplating how best to prepare professionals with much-needed expertise in assessment and UX, UX-A represents an innovative approach in professional preparation. Although the UX-A program is grant-funded, several of the program components could be adapted and incorporated without such support.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the structure and history of the program, issues related to developing a new curricular program for LIS education, and the educational and professional development needs of the assessment and UX professional community. It includes an extensive review of literature related to LIS curriculum development, practica, and professional mentoring, as well as suggestions for implementing elements of the program in other settings.

Details

Performance Measurement and Metrics, vol. 19 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-8047

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 2002

Dania Bilal

Reports the key findings of a three‐part research project that examined the information seeking behaviour and success of 22 seventh grade science students in using the Web…

2015

Abstract

Reports the key findings of a three‐part research project that examined the information seeking behaviour and success of 22 seventh grade science students in using the Web. Children used the Yahooligans! search engine/directory to locate information for three different types of search tasks: one assigned fact‐finding task, one assigned research‐oriented task, and one fully self‐generated task. Children’s information‐seeking behaviour was studied from the cognitive, affective, and physical perspectives. Both quantitative and qualitative inquiry methods were employed to collect the data. Children’s behaviour and success were compared on the three tasks. Children were more successful on the fully self‐generated task than the fact‐based and the research‐oriented tasks. Children experienced difficulty in using Yahooligans! Their inadequate knowledge of how to use the engine, their poor level of research skills, as well as the poor structure of Yahooligans! keyword searching all surfaced as problems. Implications for Web training and system design improvements are provided.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

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Article
Publication date: 6 February 2025

Dania Bilal, Jiangen He and Jiqun Liu

132

Abstract

Details

Information and Learning Sciences, vol. 126 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5348

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Book part
Publication date: 17 September 2014

Dania Bilal and Valerie Jopeck

To identify research work on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the context of young girls’ affective responses to access and use of ICT in developing countries.

Abstract

Purpose

To identify research work on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the context of young girls’ affective responses to access and use of ICT in developing countries.

Methodology/approach

A literature search covering the period from early 1990s to date in fields of information science, human–computer interaction, ICT, and educational technologies was performed using relevant databases and Google Scholar. Related literature in the context of specific theoretical frameworks was retrieved and analyzed.

Findings

Abundant research exists on ICT in developing countries. However, little empirical work was found on young girls’ affective responses to access and use of ICT. The gendered digital divide in relation to ICT showed differing perspectives on this issue. Generally, affective information behavior is much less observed in empirical research than the cognitive behavior, regardless of age, gender, or culture.

Practical implications

Young girls’ affective responses to access and use of ICT in these countries warrant additional research in this area of study. Findings from research on youth information behavior in Western countries may have little or no bearings on youth in developing countries. The study of young girls’ access and use of ICT in developing countries should account for cultural, socioeconomic, and institutional differences among countries and between societies or communities in a given developing country.

Originality/value

Minimal research exists on young girls’ affective responses to accessing and using ICT in developing countries. The literature review covered in this chapter is grounded in theoretical frameworks derived from varied disciplines, including the field of library and information science.

Details

New Directions in Children’s and Adolescents’ Information Behavior Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-814-3

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Abstract

Details

New Directions in Children’s and Adolescents’ Information Behavior Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-814-3

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Book part
Publication date: 17 September 2014

Naresh Kumar Agarwal

Through observing the use of iPhone and iPad by a child between the ages of two and four years and a half, this study presents accounts on the child’s use of and interaction with…

Abstract

Purpose

Through observing the use of iPhone and iPad by a child between the ages of two and four years and a half, this study presents accounts on the child’s use of and interaction with these devices, as well as her interaction with the physical environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Unstructured, naturalistic observation was employed in this study. The study is grounded in theories of user engagement with digital and physical objects.

Findings

A child’s interaction with touch-based devices does not deter the child from engaging effectively with the physical environment or from activities centered on creativity and interpersonal engagement. A child is able to move back and forth seamlessly between the physical and digital environments.

Practical implications

Findings from this study could help parents, educators, and system designers understand why and how toddlers and preschoolers use and engage with touch-based devices, as well as the kind of tasks they perform.

Originality/value

Studies of toddlers’ or preschoolers’ information behavior and interaction with touch-based devices are scarce. Children born toward the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century are growing up with a propensity to using touch-based devices. This study provides a framework for effective usage of such devices while ensuring all-round cognitive and physical development of the child.

Details

New Directions in Children’s and Adolescents’ Information Behavior Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-814-3

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Book part
Publication date: 17 September 2014

Valerie Nesset

The purpose of this chapter is to present a model (Beginning, Acting, Telling (BAT) model) developed for the elementary-school classroom that integrates features identified by…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this chapter is to present a model (Beginning, Acting, Telling (BAT) model) developed for the elementary-school classroom that integrates features identified by research into information-seeking behavior and information literacy.

Methodology/approach

The chapter provides an overview of research in the areas of information-seeking behavior and information literacy and models in which they have intersected (namely, the Information Search Process (ISP) model) to provide a theoretical framework in which to situate the BAT model. Examples from previous empirical studies conducted by the author that informed the model are provided.

Findings

A preliminary iteration of the BAT model has successfully been piloted in two third-grade classrooms in Buffalo, New York. Plans are underway to introduce the model to a wider audience.

Practical implications

The BAT model with its use of image and mnemonic cues can be used to teach the research process to students, beginning in the earliest grades of elementary school.

Originality/value of chapter

This chapter is the first time the final iteration of the BAT model has been presented. It is the first model integrating features inherent in information-seeking behavior and information literacy that also makes use of imagery and mnemonic.

Details

New Directions in Children’s and Adolescents’ Information Behavior Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-814-3

Keywords

Available. Content available
320

Abstract

Details

Library Management, vol. 29 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

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