The effects of hierarchical structure and visualization ability on computerized information retrieval

This study examined the effects of visualization ability on search time in databases with different hierarchical structures. It was designed to determine whether manipulation of the hierarchical structures of information could accommodate the needs of low‐visualization ability users. The task consisted of finding specific “target” files in each of the four different data structures that varied in depth of organization. The study found the expected effects of organizational structure and visualization ability on retrieval time from the database. It did not find any evidence of an interaction between the two variables on performance. The results suggest that individual differences in performance are the result of differences in perceptual speed and that altering the structure of the information in a database is not an effective way to accommodate to low‐visualization ability users.