In-depth Understanding of the Life Cycle of Users' Search Behaviour and their Cognitive Journey when Installing Apps

Abstract

Understanding what motivates people to download apps is essential, as it influences the benefits these technologies offer and helps users find apps that fit their needs. By gaining better insights into user behaviour, we can enhance devices, services, and applications. Earlier work showed that the depth of available information influences the time and cognitive effort people spend searching for information to make an informed decision. When a user begins a search, they do not weigh all information equally. They rely on specific "entry point" cues to serve as a gateway. If an app fails these initial checks, the user will not expend the cognitive effort to look any further. In this work, we conducted an observational lab study and semi-structured interviews to investigate the cognitive heuristics and sequential behavioural pathways users employ when navigating app store environments, the importance of information cues presented by app stores, and the relationship between them across the app store stages.Using data mining approaches and path analysis, combined with theoretical frameworks of users' search behaviour, our research mapped the entire lifecycle of a user's app search and their cognitive journey from the moment they hit "search" to the final installation (e.g., Pre-Click to Post-Click).

Keywords: HCI theories and methods, Users' Search Behaviour, Laboratory experiment, Apps, information cues, Decision-making, Heuristics, Data mining

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1008106