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A taxonomy of novice user perception of error on the Web

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Abstract

Novice users face many challenges when browsing the Web. The goal of this experiment was to learn about how users perceive error situations when using the World Wide Web. Specifically, the goal was to learn which circumstances cause users to believe that an error has occurred. An exploratory experiment took place with 78 subjects who were novice users. In the experiment the subjects were asked to identify when they perceived that an error had occurred. The subjects reported a total of 219 error situations. These error situations were then classified by the researchers into the following four categories: user error, system error, situational error, and poor Web design. Based on the collected data, suggestions are presented for improving the usability of Web browsers and Web sites.

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Acknowledgments

The lead author of this article was partially supported by Training Grant No. T42/CCT310419 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Thanks also goes to Adam Jones for assistance with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252, USA

    Jonathan Lazar & Gabriele Meiselwitz

  2. Department of Information Systems, UMBC, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA

    Anthony Norcio

Authors
  1. Jonathan Lazar
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  2. Gabriele Meiselwitz
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  3. Anthony Norcio
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Correspondence to Jonathan Lazar.

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Lazar, J., Meiselwitz, G. & Norcio, A. A taxonomy of novice user perception of error on the Web. Univ Access Inf Soc 3, 202–208 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-004-0095-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-004-0095-9

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