A comparative usability evaluation of user interfaces for online product catalog

Abstract

We conducted a comparative study of the usability of hierarchically structured and zoomable Electronic Product Catalogs (EPC). After evaluating 16 hierarchical EPC available online today we constructed a test search interface and used it for comparison with InfoZoom, a novel interface utilizing a compression technique, direct manipulation, and zooming. 26 users, who were new to the InfoZoom Interface, but familiar with the Web environment, were studied in their use of one of these catalog types. Performance on both types of interfaces was assessed in terms of search speed, accuracy, efficiency, and user satisfaction. Both interfaces had positive evaluations, but behavioral data and performance data suggest that users valued their interaction with InfoZoom more.