Participants' Pre-Search Mean Ratings of the Task Difficulty Items, by Cognitive Complexity Level:

In terms of searching for information, users engaged in evaluate tasks expected their tasks to be the most difficult. Create the least. Overall difficulty expections were low.

In terms of understanding the information found, understand tasks were expected to be the most difficult. Evaluate the least. Overall difficulty expections were low.

In terms of deciding if the information found was useful, create tasks were expected to be the most difficult. Evaluate the least. Overall difficulty expections were low.

When determining if enough information has been found, evaluate tasks were expected to be the most difficult. Analyse the least. Overall difficulty expections were high.

Participants' Post-Search Mean Ratings of the Task Difficulty Items, by Cognitive Complexity Level:

In terms of searching for information, users engaged in evaluate tasks were found to be the most difficult. Create the least. These largely match the pre-task assessment.

In terms of understanding the information found, evaluate tasks were found to be the most difficult. Analyse the least. Evaluate task were found to be harder than epected.

In terms of deciding if the information found was useful, users engaged in all task types found this to be significantly less difficult than expected.

When determining if enough information has been found, evaluate tasks were expected to be the most difficult. Analyse the least. These largely match the pre-task assessment.