Using the eye-tracking method to study consumer online health information search behaviour
| Published date | 18 November 2019 |
| Pages | 739-754 |
| Date | 18 November 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-02-2019-0050 |
| Author | Jacek Gwizdka,Yan Zhang,Andrew Dillon |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management |
Using the eye-tracking method to
study consumer online health
information search behaviour
Jacek Gwizdka, Yan Zhang and Andrew Dillon
School of Information, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to introduce eye tracking as a method for capturing direct and
indirect measures of online human information search behaviour. The unique contribution of eye-tracking
data in studying information behaviour is examined in the context of health information research.
Design/methodology/approach –The need for multiple methods of data collection when examining
human online health information behaviour is described and summarised. The nature of human eye
movements in information use and reading is outlined and the emergence and application of contemporary
eye-tracking technology are explained.
Findings –The paper summarises key contributions and insights that eye tracking has provided across
multiple studies, with examples of both direct data on fixations and gaze durations as well as theoretical
assessments of relevance and knowledge gain.
Originality/value –The paper provides a basic introduction to the application of a unique method for
information research in general and online health information search in particular and provides readers with
an awareness of how such data are captured and interpreted.
Keywords Research methods, Web search, Health information, Information search behaviour,
Eye tracking, Consumer online health information search behaviour
Paper type General review
1. Introduction
Searching for health information online is now a routine behaviour for many people. It was
estimated back in 2013 that more than 70 per cent of adult internet users in the USA search
online for information on a wide range of health issues, and more than 25 per cent read or
watch someone else’s experiences of health or medical issues (Fox and Duggan, 2013).
Positive correlates of health information seeking on health outcomes have been reported.
For example, information seekers, compared to non-seekers, were more likely to have
healthy eating intentions (McKinley and Wright, 2014), consume more fruits and vegetables
and have a more active lifestyle (Ramanadhan and Viswanath, 2006; Ramírez et al., 2013).
However, people do not benefit equally from online health information. A Pew Research
Center study revealed that more than 90 per cent of online searchers reported only moderate,
minor or no help from their searches (Fox, 2011). Numerous studies also suggest that
consumers feel frustrated with their online health information search (OHIS) experiences
(Arora et al., 2008; LaValley et al., 2017).
Over the past decade, the volume of health information available to consumers has
grown exponentially, resulting in information overload for many consumers ( Jensen et al.,
2017; van Velsen et al., 2013). Increasing quantity, however, has not resulted in
commensurate improvements in the perceived quality of available health information.
Systematic reviews of online health information on a wide range of topics suggest the
overall quality of online health information remains worrisome (Eysenbach et al., 2002;
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 71 No. 6, 2019
pp. 739-754
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-02-2019-0050
Received 18 February 2019
Revised 17 April 2019
5 July 2019
25 August 2019
Accepted 30 August 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2050-3806.htm
The authorswant to thank the support from the 2011Google Faculty Research Awardto Jacek Gwizdka,
Institute for Museum and Library Studies (IMLS) Career Development Grant to Jacek Gwizdka No.
RE-04-11-0062-11A, and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Digital Media
Program at University of Texas at Austin.
739
The eye-tracking
method
Zhang et al., 2015). As the population of many nations, including the USA, ages, we
anticipate increases in both rates of health-related information behaviour and older users’
reliance on the internet as a source of health information. In short, the problems of OHIS are
likely to become more, not less pressing in the decades ahead.
Following Wilson (1999), we define consumer OHIS behaviour as the totality of
consumers’use of the internet to seek and apply information for health and wellness related
needs and purposes. Studies of OHIS have provided new insights on issues such as how
people select information sources; how they read, evaluate and comprehend information;
what cognitive barriers are experienced by specific groups; and what search behaviours are
less optimal (e.g. Diviani et al., 2016; Sun et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2017). Such understanding
is valuable in informing the design of training materials, more thoughtful information
architectures and more usable system interfaces to better serve all user populations.
Human information behaviour in general and consumer OHIS behaviour in particular
involvecomplex and dynamic processes.In-depth understandingof this behaviour canonly be
gained throughmultiple methodological approachesthat are complementaryto one another. In
this paper, we brieflyreview a suite of commonly used methods in studying consumer OHIS
behaviour. We then introduce the eye-tracking method as a new add-on to the suite and
presenttwo examples drawing onseveral studies conductedin the InformationeXperience (IX)
lab at the University of Texas at Austin and in the usability lab at Rutgers University to
demonstrate how eye tracking can provide unique insights when studying consumer OHIS.
2. Common research methods used in consumer OHIS studies
An exhaustive account of methods employed in this area is beyond the scope of this paper
but Table I lists the most commonly used methods or combinations of methods employed in
studies of consumer OHIS, along with the OHIS aspects which these methods address.
Transaction logs record users’step by step interactions with an application. Typical
elements in transaction logs include queries, webpages (URLs) visited and the date and time
of each visit. These data, mostly queries submitted to general web search engines, typically
Methods Major aspects of OHIS behaviour investigated
Transaction log analysis (TLA) Consumer health information needs (e.g. topics of interest, search
goals and intentions and dynamic changes of interest and concerns)
Query behaviours (e.g. query length, misspellings)
Analysis of user-generated posts in
online communities
Consumer health information needs (e.g. topics of interest, context)
Challenges/difficulties in search process
Survey The influence of demographic, cognitive and psychosocial factors
on OHIS behaviours
Consumer online search experience and barriers
Online sources utilised
Criteria for evaluating information quality
Focus groups and interviews Consumers’perceptions of and attitudes toward online health
information credibility, relevance
Criteria used to evaluate online health information quality
Cognitive strategies used in search process
Information comprehension and sense-making
Barriers and challenges
Observation in combination with think-
aloud protocol or interviews
Consumers’actual behaviour of interacting with online search
systems (e.g. search patterns and performance) and their
explanation of their own behaviours
Observation in combination with
experimental design
Influence of personal, cognitive and emotional states, and interfaces
on search behaviours (e.g. search patterns and performance)
Table I.
Major research
methods used to
study consumer OHIS
behaviour
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