OCAD University Open Research Repository

Reimagining Search Interfaces by Optimizing for the Needs of People with Different Information Foraging Types

Reid, Wendy A (2026) Reimagining Search Interfaces by Optimizing for the Needs of People with Different Information Foraging Types. [MRP]

Item Type: MRP
Creators: Reid, Wendy A
Abstract:

e-Commerce experiences are increasingly an essential part of everyday life, as people use it for both essential and non-essential purchases. How e-commerce websites work, including their features and design, have changed relatively little since the inception of e-commerce. While most people find e-commerce easy to use, for others, it is a frustrating and overwhelming experience that can lead to longer purchasing times or failure to complete the process entirely. This study explores those experiences, with a focus on people with different information foraging and attention phenotypes, to examine what e-commerce features lead to positive and negative experiences, and by using co-design to explore how interfaces could be designed differently to match their needs. The results indicate that current e-commerce experiences present too much information in ways that do not align with the information processing needs of participants, that more personalization and user control is needed in interfaces, and that trust is built on the positive experiences users can have when their needs are supported. In this project we make recommendations for potential features and approaches e-commerce websites can take to support different user needs, and areas for future exploration in this space.

Date: 6 May 2026
Uncontrolled Keywords: e-commerce, online shopping, internet shopping, information foraging, consumer purchase decision making, co-design, personalization, inclusive design
Divisions: Graduate Studies > Inclusive Design
Date Deposited: 07 May 2026 19:48
Last Modified: 07 May 2026 19:48
URI: https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/5149

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