That’s the term researchers at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center used to describe the state of mind people are in when hunting for information. According to the theory, human beings “track” information much like predators track prey—first, by finding a scent, and then pursuing that scent for as long as they’re confident that success is still possible.

Naturally, this is a theory that applies directly to user interface design and website organization. But surprisingly, many designers and developers still rely on false metrics like the “Three Click Rule” and the “No Scroll Rule” to make their sites usable.

Believe it or not, these can backfire on you and actually detract from the user experience. That’s what researchers at User Interface Engineering determined after an eight-year study, the results of which are published in their report Designing for the Scent of Information. Among other findings, it seems that the traditional design process, where the homepage is the center of the universe, can be a root cause of user frustration.

At $30.99 for a 28-page PDF, it’s a bit pricey, but I encourage anyone fighting a losing battle with self-proclaimed usability experts spouting inflexible rules to take a look. Managers may roll their eyes at the informal A List Apart-style tone that the authors strike, but it’s hard to argue with the hard data backing up their findings.