Determination of optimal paths to task goals using expert system based on GOMS model

Website users often experience several difficulties while trying to access or navigate a website. This is mostly due to their inability to familiarize themselves with the structures in the website or as a result of complex procedures which prevent them from reaching their goals. It is therefore, important to develop a methodology or guidance technique for assisting website users to achieve their goals. A type of expert system that provides the needed guidance necessary in order to achieve these goals was proposed in this paper. A sample website was initially designed, and the analysis of website menu structure was conducted. The rules to find the optimal path are established based on the Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection rules (GOMS) model by considering individual preferences on input devices. Derivatives of the GOMS model such as the Cognitive Perceptual Model GOMS, Natural GOMS Language, GOMS Language and GOMS Language Evaluation and Analysis were reviewed. The Card, Moran and Newell (CMN) GOMS technique was selected as the primary inference engine of the proposed expert system. This was primarily based on the highly efficient and exemplary capability of the CMN-GOMS to predict both operator sequence and execution time. The expert system was finally constructed from the result of the acquired knowledge base and other applicable rules.