Development of a Visual Search Service Effectiveness Scale for Assessing Image Search Effectiveness: A Behavioral and Technological Perspective

Abstract

Despite the potential of visual search services (VSSs) to increase the size of the global visual search market, there is no VSS effectiveness measurement scale in the literature. Prior studies of traditional text-based search services have aimed to establish a method for assessing the performance of web search services. Our primary objective is to integrate state-of-the-art research in the fields of information-seeking behavior, visual search performance, and human–computer interaction pertaining to evaluating VSS effectiveness. The key dimensions of VSS effectiveness were identified by adopting the Delphi method, and the associated measures were developed. Then, survey data were collected from 426 VSS users, and the developed measures of VSS effectiveness were validated using the exploratory factor analysis technique. Finally, the scale developed includes 19 measures belonging to three key dimensions: user dependency on VSSs, the perceived ability to use VSSs, and VSS retrieval performance. The nomological validity of the developed scale’s three dimensions was also ensured and was evident from the positive correlations between them and VSS user continuance intention. Overall, we find that the better the functionality of a VSS is, the more users with a high perceived ability can acquire better information. This study also contributes to the theory development in the literature on search service effectiveness measures in terms of highlighting the VSS feature to be considered when providing a VSS that is suitable for the user’s preference.