ClickTrails: Enhancing Web Navigation with Usage-Based Stylization of Clicked Web Page Elements

Abstract

A modern web user might visit dozens of websites in a day and return to the same website countless times over a lifetime. However, unlike physical travels that leave behind tangible traces on the path, navigating through the web doesn’t usually leave visible traces on web pages. Drawing inspiration from concepts in information foraging theory, this thesis investigates methods to capture and visualize the typically unseen traversals made by users in the online domain as a method of improving the information scent of web pages. We introduce ClickTrails, a browser extension that enables users to leave a visible trail as they navigate the web. ClickTrails highlights the links and buttons that the user clicks on, and the highlights increase in intensity with more clicks. Users can also switch to an alternative interaction mode, where clicking on elements causes them to fade. Based on the mode they select, a user’s web page interactions can either become more or less conspicuous, allowing them to choose the mode that aligns with their specific goals for each website. Our user evaluation indicates that ClickTrails helps users by surfacing information about their web use that would otherwise not be visible; ClickTrails helps users retrace frequently-used paths on the web, avoid already-visited links, and gain awareness of their browsing habits. These results demonstrate the promising potential of ClickTrails’ designs to enhance web navigation.