Access methods for online information: A cost/benefit approach to users' choices

Two studies that suggest the existence of varied and complex factors determining users' choices of access methods when seeking information in an online environment are reported. One of these factors is the perceived cost and benefit of using a particular access method. A cost/benefits analysis of user choices reveals that, in many cases, aversion to risk and to cognitive load affects certain user choices more than criteria of efficiency. To improve the retrievability of online information, technical communicators and tool designers need to focus on users' perceptions of the cost and benefits involved in their interactions with the tool for displaying online information, as well as with the information itself.