Mission
Internet Research is a rapidly evolving field of interest in both the academic and commercial sectors, and the University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering department strives to remain on the cutting edge of internet research technology with this composite research group. Graduate and undergraduate students as well as faculty members collaborate to advance the understanding of Internet user behavior, and develop the software tools necessary to support those lines of inquiry.
Lab testing of browsing behavior often falls short because it puts Internet users in an unnatural environment and exposes them directly to scrutiny. For this reason, Intres has pioneered a new analytical software toolkit called WebLabUX which delivers in-lab granularity and experimental control in a remote testing package.
By evaluating browsing behavior in the users' normal home or office environment, and studying multiple variables by direct link-path monitoring as well as survey-style testing, WebLabUX opens new areas of interest to academic research as well as commercial study.
Current goals for Intres:
- To assess design features of electronically delivered information (e.g., Web pages and Web sites) by conducting Internet-based research.
- To refine WebLab UX as a toolkit.
- To engage in valid and reliable studies administered through WebLabUX in existing as well as newer areas of computing such as mobile interfaces.
- To seek funding to support expansion of WebLabUX so that it can be used by usability experts, researchers, and other stakeholders on their own Web sites in order to study specific variables of interest.