Understanding the Usage and Familiarity of Home Network Terminology Using Open Card Sorting Analysis

Research around computer networks has been rapidly expanding as the Internet becomes more prevalent in day-to-day life. Despite this rapid expansion in academic interest, computer networks, especially home networks, remain a challenge for inexperienced users to configure and maintain. To remedy this, new data needs to be collected to understand this new audience as computer networks move from academic/institutional to residential settings. This study examines the terminology that homeowners prefer when discussing bandwidth and connectivity issues on their home networks. We generated a list of common terms from web forums and user interviews and had participants classify these terms using an open card sort to determine their effectiveness. Our initial results indicate that participants were more likely to misclassify bandwidth-related and technical terms. This study demonstrates the importance of designing home networks to better meet the needs and diverse expertise levels of users.