Stochastic Simulation of Web Users

Abstract

A biologically inspired cognitive model is presented for human decision making and applied to the simulation of the web user. The model is based on the Neurophysiology description of multiple decision process; this is a well proven psychological theory. The model simulates the behaviour of a real user on a website and it was observed that the distribution of artificial web users in sessions successfully simulates a genuine user’s web mode of behaviour. On the hypothesis that the adjusted artificial web user behaves statistically similar to the human web users, a system was created for the improvement of the structure of a web site based on stochastic simulations as a Proof of Concept. Since simulation recover observed statistical behaviour, changes on a web site are used to predict changes on navigational patterns.