Titel: Online dictionaries: expectations and demands
Personen:Müller-Spitzer, Carolin/Koplenig, Alexander
Jahr: 2014
Typ: Aufsatz
Verlag: de Gruyter
Ortsangabe: Berlin/New York
In: Müller-Spitzer, Carolin (Hg.): Using Online Dictionaries
Seiten: 143-188
Untersuchte Sprachen: Deutsch*German - Englisch*English
Schlagwörter: Adaptivität*adaptivity
audio-visuelle Medien/Multimedia*audio-visual media/multimedia
Benutzer/Nutzer*user
Benutzungsforschung*usage research
Internet-Lexikografie/Online-Lexikografie*internet lexicography/online lexicography
Abstract: This chapter presents empirical findings on the question which criteria are making a good online dictionary using data on expectations and demands collected in the first study (N=684), completed with additional results from the second study (N=390) which examined more closely whether the respondents had differentiated views on individual aspects of the criteria rated in the first study. Our results show that the classical criteria of reference books (e.g. reliability, clarity) were rated highest by our participants, whereas the unique characteristics of online dictionaries (e.g. multimedia, adaptability) were rated and ranked as (partly) unimportant. To verify whether or not the poor rating of these innovative features was the result of the fact that the subjects are not used to online dictionaries incorporating those features, we integrated an experiment into the second study. Our results revealed a learning effect: Participants in the learning-effect condition, i.e. respondents who were first presented with examples of possible innovative features of online dictionaries, judged adaptability and multimedia to be more useful than participants who did not have this information. Thus, our data point to the conclusion that developing innovative features is worthwhile but that it is necessary to be aware of the fact that users can only be convinced of its benefits gradually.