What is still wrong with the World-Wide Web? An update after a decade

  • Authors:
  • Nancy J. Lightner;Liang Zeng

  • Affiliations:
  • Simulex, Inc., West Lafayette, USA 47906;School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA 47907

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing
  • Year:
  • 2011

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Abstract

Following research published in 1996, a survey was conducted to investigate the likes, dislikes and areas of difficulty on the World-Wide Web. Findings of the pilot survey indicate that the amount of information online was most liked, advertisements were the least liked and searching presented the most difficulty. A follow-up questionnaire similar to that used in 1995 was administered and 301 responses were obtained. The comparison of the two surveys, conducted more than a decade apart, indicates that some users are not aware of features of search engines and browsers that would aid them in their searching efforts. However, better instructions on the search process or search tools were not considered enhancements. Unlike the 1996 survey, this survey contained questions concerning online advertising. Respondents indicated that easy to ignore or potentially interesting forms of advertising are less annoying than pop-ups, spam and those that animate in the screen foreground.