The Influence of Display Characteristics on Visual Exploratory Search Behavior

1. The Influence of Display Characteristics on Visual Exploratory Search Behavior Jeff Schoenle September 2, 2008

2. Topics Presented • Goal-directed versus Exploratory Searches • Layout Influences • Studies on Displays

3. Goal-Directed Search • Definition • The planned acquisition of data using a search routine stored in memory or generated for the current task • Examples: • Looking top to bottom or left to right • Searching for certain colors or shapes

4. Goal-Directed Search (cont.) • Search is governed by… • Demands of the search task • Organization of information in the surrounding environment • Prior experiences of the person conducting the search • Factors that influence the visual environment • Salience • Layout

5. Salience • What is salience? • Makes items easier to see than others • Size • Color • Contrast with other items

6. Layout • What is layout? • Organization strategy for a visual space • Uses a particular sorting element or category • What are its uses? • Limits attention to a certain item(s) • Helps speed up search process

7. Exploratory Search • Description • Works as a process to select certain items that may be then involved in a goal-directed search • Used as an information gathering technique • More general than a goal-directed search • Always an on-going activity • Is able to direct attention to a certain item or items

8. Exploratory Search (cont.) • How does it work? • Determines how much attention will be paid to a location • Responsible for any changes in attention level or attention location • Weighs whether or not more information will be obtained by focusing on one location or another

9. Nonfocal Material • What does nonfocal mean? • Outside of the main focus area • Could be understood as things in your peripheral vision • Important implications • Companies try to design packaging in order so that their product will attract the customer’s eyes • There is competition for attention, so the product packaging must be able to hold attention when surrounded by other products

10. Study 1 • Purpose • Look at attention levels given to items when surrounded by differing items • Dual Hypotheses • People engaged in a goal-directed search routine will spend less time looking at areas that are surrounded by a configuration of material that allows for an easy shift in attention • People engaged in an exploratory search routine should spend less time looking at target areas that are surrounded by material generating a strong demand for attention

11. Study 1 (cont.) • Method • Objects were divided into 48 displays of 4 objects each • Forty undergraduate students looked at the displays while their eye movement was monitored • Eye movement was measured in degrees

12. Study 1 (cont.) • Results • Goal-directed search hypothesis was not supported by the data • Areas using an easier search were viewed for longer periods of time, not shorter periods • Exploratory search hypothesis was supported by the data • An increase in competition for attention by nonfocal objects led to less attention being paid on the focal object

13. Study 2 • Purpose • Test the ability of the subjects to remember the objects • Hypotheses • Tested the same hypotheses as in study 1 • Goal-directed search • Exploratory search

14. Study 2 (cont.) • Method • Used cued-recall technique to measure level of recall • Selected 64 objects to be used • Objects determined by 20 subjects • Objects grouped into 16 displays of 4 objects each • Groups had other displays around them to provide competition for attention • A questionnaire was given to 117 subjects asking about their impressions of a sticker book that was created and included the 64 objects

15. Study 2 (cont.) • Method (cont.) • Students were then asked to remember as many of the objects as possible • Results • Best memory level was for objects presented in a low-competition area • Memory levels were better in moderate competition areas than in high competition areas • Increasing the competition level means a decrease in the memory level • Results support an exploratory search routine process • Results could be biased because of method that may have supported an exploratory search routine

16. Study 3 • Used same procedure as Study 2 • Two booklets were created • Booklet 1 had displays of objects in a noncompetitive environment • Booklet 2 had displays of objects in a visually competitive environment • Hypothesis • Memory of information from Booklet 1 would be better than memory of information from Booklet 2

17. Study 3 (cont.) • Results • Reduced competition for attention resulted in a better memory level for the objects and displays • Exploratory search routines are likely to only have a minimal impact regarding purchasing decisions

18. Study 4 • Purpose • Show that an exploratory search routine could have an impact on attention and sales moreso than a goal-directed routine • Hypotheses • Product size will be the variable that will most likely influence sales and attention for a goal-directed search routine • Competition for attention will be the variable that will most likely influence sales and attention for an exploratory search routine

19. Study 4 (cont.) • Method • Environment should support both types of search routines • Catalog shopping was chosen • Objects were 11 two-page women’s clothing displays • 54 women were chosen as subjects • Allowed to flip through a binder that contained the displays • Average time looking at each display was recorded

20. Study 4 (cont.) • Results • Attention on the focal product decreased as competition for attention by the nonfocal products increased • Sales for the focal product decreased as competition for attention by the nonfocal products increased • Competition for attention explained differences in sales and attention

21. Discussion Questions • As stated in the last section of the article, more effort on research has been given to goal-directed searches than to exploratory searches. Why do you think this is? • What type of search routine do you believe you fit under? • What are some tactics companies can used in order to focus attention on their products? • If you were a marketing executive, how would you try to promote your company’s product?