Lillian Clark

Identifying web navigation behaviour and patterns automatically from clickstream data

A users clickstream, such as that which is found in server-side logs, can be a rich source of data concerning the ways in which a user navigates a site, but the volume and level of detail found in these logs makes it difficult to identify and categorise specific navigational patterns. In this paper, we describe the three-step automatic pattern discovery (APD) method, a tool that utilises sequential mining to extract a users navigation route based on two levels of basic navigational elements. This paper contains descriptions of two studies in which the APD was used; the first makes use of APD to analyse the usage of an educational website; the second describes how APD was used to improve the design of a technical support website in a university department.A users clickstream, such as that which is found in server-side logs, can be a rich source of data concerning the ways in which a user navigates a site, but the volume and level of detail found in...

APD-A Tool for Identifying Behavioural Patterns Automatically from Clickstream Data

Clickstream can be a rich source of data for analysing user behaviour, but the volume of these logs makes it difficult to identify and categorise behavioural patterns. In this paper, we introduce the Automatic Pattern Discovery (APD) method, a technique for automated processing of Clickstream data to identify a users browsing patterns. The paper also includes case study that is used to illustrate the use of the APD and to evaluate its performance.

Off Their Trolley — Understanding Online Grocery Shopping Behaviour

The artefact or object-based models commonly used in interaction design for describing users are inadequate for understanding the complexity and variability of online consumer behaviour, while traditional models of consumer behaviour do not reflect the user’s ability to shape their shopping experience online. To address this gap a framework has been developed for modelling online consumer behaviour and in this paper this framework is used to develop a survey of online grocery shopping in the UK. Analysis of the survey reveals several issues of concern, particularly dissatisfaction with product search capabilities and a conflict between the online consumer’s desires for both empowerment and experimentation.

Personality types and Facebook advertising: An exploratory study

The Five-Factor Model of personality types has been utilized by a number of computer science and psychology academics as a framework to explore aspects of internet adoption and, more recently, social media adoption and behaviours. While the use of personality type models in research has been less popular with marketing academics, the Five-Factor Model has been used to predict the emotional appeal of advertising based on personality types and potentially to provide guidelines for tailoring adverts accordingly. Given the growing impact of advertising on social media platforms, especially Facebook’s ongoing refinements to its advertising models, the question arises for both academics and practitioners alike as to whether personality type models such as Five Factor can successfully be used to predict consumer responses to promotional messages delivered via social media. This paper describes an exploratory study in which participants were shown a series of Facebook promotional posts and asked to describe their responses, and to complete a questionnaire to assess Five-Factor personality type. The results of the study suggest that responses to Facebook promotional messages may indeed vary based on the user’s personality type, but further research is needed to validate these findings. The study also underscores the challenges of assessing personality type in time-limited studies and suggests that further research is needed to evaluate the suitability of this approach for practitioners.

A framework for understanding the website preferences of Egyptian online travel consumers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for understanding issues affecting Egyptian online travel website preferences. Design/methodology/approach – Grounded theory was selected due to its suitability in generating frameworks from data gathered plus existing theory. Findings – The research describes the development of the electronic cultural adaptation framework (E-CAF), which consists of six theoretical dimensions that allow both researchers and practitioners to comprehend how Egyptian cultural values can affect their online travel shopping behaviour, in particular website design preferences. Research limitations/implications – The construction of the E-CAF is based on research into Egyptian online travel consumers. Development of the E-CAF could be expanded using participants from different cultural groups and other shopping domains. Practical implications – This research will help practitioners to understand how Egyptian cultural values can affect online behaviour and assist in de...