zoektijd

Zoektijd, literally “search time,” refers to the time required to locate a target item in a search task, a dataset, or a system. In Dutch-language literature, the term is used across disciplines to discuss the speed and efficiency of finding information or objects.

In cognitive psychology, zoektijd is typically measured as response time in visual search tasks. Researchers study how zoektijd scales with display size and the similarity between target and distractors to assess search efficiency. In feature search tasks, where the target differs from distractors by a single feature, zoektijd increases slowly or remains near constant with set size, whereas in conjunction search tasks, requiring the combination of features, zoektijd increases more steeply, indicating a less efficient search process.

In information retrieval and computer science, zoektijd refers to the time from issuing a query to retrieving relevant results. It depends on data size, indexing, query processing, and hardware. Algorithms and data structures such as inverted indexes, trees, and hash tables, along with caching and parallel processing, are used to reduce zoektijd. Theoretical bounds are described with time complexity like O(n) for linear scans or O(log n) for binary search, while practical performance is measured in milliseconds or seconds.

In library science and user interface design, zoektijd is a key usability metric, reflecting how quickly a patron or user can locate a book, document, or item in a catalog or interface. Reducing zoektijd often involves improved metadata, better search interfaces, intuitive filters, and effective navigation structures.

Measurement and interpretation: Zoektijd is influenced by task familiarity, training, and context. It is typically analyzed together with accuracy or error rates to assess search performance, efficiency gains from optimization, and user satisfaction. See also: reaction time, information retrieval, search algorithm, set size effect.