Interactive Information Retrieval in Digital Environments
TL;DR: M-Libraries is an excellent starting place for libraries that are considering their own mobile initiatives and the wide variety of projects that are described will allow all types of libraries to benefit from this pioneering work.
Abstract: This book builds on the author's 1999 award-winning ALISE dissertation titled Planned and Situated Aspects in Interactive IR: Patterns of User Interactive Intentions and Information Seeking Strateg...
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TL;DR: The goal in the present article is to structure TBII on the basis of the five generic activities and consider the evaluation of each activity using the program theory framework and combine these activity-based program theories in an overall evaluation framework for TBIi.
Abstract: Evaluation is central in research and development of information retrieval (IR). In addition to designing and implementing new retrieval mechanisms, one must also show through rigorous evaluation that they are effective. A major focus in IR is IR mechanisms’ capability of ranking relevant documents optimally for the users, given a query. Searching for information in practice involves searchers, however, and is highly interactive. When human searchers have been incorporated in evaluation studies, the results have often suggested that better ranking does not necessarily lead to better search task, or work task, performance. Therefore, it is not clear which system or interface features should be developed to improve the effectiveness of human task performance. In the present article, we focus on the evaluation of task-based information interaction (TBII). We give special emphasis to learning tasks to discuss TBII in more concrete terms. Information interaction is here understood as behavioral and cognitive activities related to task planning, searching information items, selecting between them, working with them, and synthesizing and reporting. These five generic activities contribute to task performance and outcome and can be supported by information systems. In an attempt toward task-based evaluation, we introduce program theory as the evaluation framework. Such evaluation can investigate whether a program consisting of TBII activities and tools works and how it works and, further, provides a causal description of program (in)effectiveness. Our goal in the present article is to structure TBII on the basis of the five generic activities and consider the evaluation of each activity using the program theory framework. Finally, we combine these activity-based program theories in an overall evaluation framework for TBII. Such an evaluation is complex due to the large number of factors affecting information interaction. Instead of presenting tested program theories, we illustrate how the evaluation of TBII should be accomplished using the program theory framework in the evaluation of systems and behaviors, and their interactions, comprehensively in context.
50 citations
18 Aug 2010
TL;DR: The present paper reports on the initial study and the preliminary findings of how the concept of simulated work task situation is reported used in the research literature to learn how and for what types of evaluations the concept is applied.
Abstract: The present paper reports on the initial study and the preliminary findings of how the concept of simulated work task situation is reported used in the research literature. The overall objective of the study is in a systematic manner to learn how and for what types of evaluations the concept is applied. In particular we are interested to learn whether the recommendations for how to apply simulated work task situations are followed.The preliminary findings indicate a need for clarifications of the recommendations of how to use simulated work task situations. Particularly with respect to 'realism' of the simulated work task situations, which is emphasised through the need for tailoring of the simulated work task situations towards the group of study participant to ensure the depicted situations are realistic and interesting from the participants' point of view. Likewise it seems that the recommendation to involve the study participants' own information needs (to function as baseline of search interaction) is generally neglected in the reported studies.
45 citations
TL;DR: This study synthesizes research throughout different, yet complementary, areas, each capable of contributing findings and understanding to visual information seeking, according to generalized phases of existing information seeking models, which include the needs, actions, and assessments of users.
Abstract: The present study reports on the information seeking processes in a visual context, referred to throughout as visual information seeking. This study synthesizes research throughout different, yet complementary, areas, each capable of contributing findings and understanding to visual information seeking. Methods previously applied for examining the visual information seeking process are reviewed, including interactive experiments, surveys, and various qualitative approaches. The methods and resulting findings are presented and structured according to generalized phases of existing information seeking models, which include the needs, actions, and assessments of users. A review of visual information needs focuses on need and thus query formulation; user actions, as reviewed, centers on search and browse behaviors and the observed trends, concluded by a survey of users' assessments of visual information as part of the interactive process. This separate examination, specific to a visual context, is significant; visual information can influence outcomes in an interactive process and presents variations in the types of needs, tasks, considerations, and decisions of users, as compared to information seeking in other contexts.
25 citations
Cites background from "Interactive Information Retrieval i..."
..., if they are current or long term), (c) the importance of tasks (Xie, 2008), and (d) other factors surrounding the users’ cognitive state, such as affective influences and/or mental representations (Vakkari, 2001; Wang, Hawk, & Tenopir, 2000)....
[...]
...…can depend on factors related to (a) the context or situation, (b) goals (i.e., if they are current or long term), (c) the importance of tasks (Xie, 2008), and (d) other factors surrounding the users’ cognitive state, such as affective influences and/or mental representations (Vakkari, 2001;…...
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TL;DR: A sample of relevant literature published primarily since 2000 is reviewed to highlight how each area of study may help to inform and benefit the other.
Abstract: Informetrics and information retrieval (IR) represent fundamental areas of study within information science. Historically, researchers have not fully capitalized on the potential research synergies that exist between these two areas. Data sources used in traditional informetrics studies have their analogues in IR, with similar types of empirical regularities found in IR system content and use. Methods for data collection and analysis used in informetrics can help to inform IR system development and evaluation. Areas of application have included automatic indexing, index term weighting and understanding user query and session patterns through the quantitative analysis of user transaction logs. Similarly, developments in database technology have made the study of informetric phenomena less cumbersome, and recent innovations used in IR research, such as language models and ranking algorithms, provide new tools that may be applied to research problems of interest to informetricians. Building on the author's previous work (Wolfram in Applied informetrics for information retrieval research, Libraries Unlimited, Westport, 2003), this paper reviews a sample of relevant literature published primarily since 2000 to highlight how each area of study may help to inform and benefit the other.
21 citations
Cites methods from "Interactive Information Retrieval i..."
...Various models have been developed to frame the process of user-centered interactive retrieval (Xie 2008)....
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TL;DR: This study is the first attempt to investigate the top three help‐seeking situations as well as associated factors in blind users' DL interactions, and its implications are discussed with the goal of providing system design recommendations for reducingblind users' help‐ seeking situations.
Abstract: A sight†centered digital library (DL) design with complex structures and multimedia formats poses significant challenges for blind users. This study is the first attempt to investigate the top three help†seeking situations as well as associated factors in blind users' DL interactions. A mixed†method approach was adopted for this study. Multiple methods were applied to collect data from 30 blind subjects: questionnaires, presearch interviews, think aloud protocols, transaction logs, and postsearch interviews. The paper identifies the top three help†seeking situations, and associated factors in relation to user, system, task, and interaction. Moreover, different types of main†level factors were tested to investigate if they are correlated to each type of top situation, and qualitative data of sublevel factors offer insight into how these factors are associated with various situations. Without a clear understanding of these situations and factors, the objective of universal access to information in DLs cannot be achieved. DL design implications are further discussed with the goal of providing system design recommendations for reducing blind users' help†seeking situations.
19 citations
Cites background from "Interactive Information Retrieval i..."
...Xie (2008) found that origination, types, and flexibilities of tasks influenced how users applied search strategies....
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...These tasks represent the three types of typical search tasks that users, including blind users, perform: known-item search, specific information search, and exploratory search (Xie, 2008)....
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...…searching mainly consist of different types of user knowledge, specifically, domain knowledge, system knowledge, and retrieval knowledge, which influence users’ information searching and DL help-seeking behavior (Ingwersen & J€arvelin, 2006; Marchionini, 1995; Xie, 2008; Xie & Cool, 2009)....
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...User factors affecting information searching mainly consist of different types of user knowledge, specifically, domain knowledge, system knowledge, and retrieval knowledge, which influence users’ information searching and DL help-seeking behavior (Ingwersen & J€arvelin, 2006; Marchionini, 1995; Xie, 2008; Xie & Cool, 2009)....
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References
More filters
TL;DR: The goal in the present article is to structure TBII on the basis of the five generic activities and consider the evaluation of each activity using the program theory framework and combine these activity-based program theories in an overall evaluation framework for TBIi.
Abstract: Evaluation is central in research and development of information retrieval (IR). In addition to designing and implementing new retrieval mechanisms, one must also show through rigorous evaluation that they are effective. A major focus in IR is IR mechanisms’ capability of ranking relevant documents optimally for the users, given a query. Searching for information in practice involves searchers, however, and is highly interactive. When human searchers have been incorporated in evaluation studies, the results have often suggested that better ranking does not necessarily lead to better search task, or work task, performance. Therefore, it is not clear which system or interface features should be developed to improve the effectiveness of human task performance. In the present article, we focus on the evaluation of task-based information interaction (TBII). We give special emphasis to learning tasks to discuss TBII in more concrete terms. Information interaction is here understood as behavioral and cognitive activities related to task planning, searching information items, selecting between them, working with them, and synthesizing and reporting. These five generic activities contribute to task performance and outcome and can be supported by information systems. In an attempt toward task-based evaluation, we introduce program theory as the evaluation framework. Such evaluation can investigate whether a program consisting of TBII activities and tools works and how it works and, further, provides a causal description of program (in)effectiveness. Our goal in the present article is to structure TBII on the basis of the five generic activities and consider the evaluation of each activity using the program theory framework. Finally, we combine these activity-based program theories in an overall evaluation framework for TBII. Such an evaluation is complex due to the large number of factors affecting information interaction. Instead of presenting tested program theories, we illustrate how the evaluation of TBII should be accomplished using the program theory framework in the evaluation of systems and behaviors, and their interactions, comprehensively in context.
50 citations
18 Aug 2010
TL;DR: The present paper reports on the initial study and the preliminary findings of how the concept of simulated work task situation is reported used in the research literature to learn how and for what types of evaluations the concept is applied.
Abstract: The present paper reports on the initial study and the preliminary findings of how the concept of simulated work task situation is reported used in the research literature. The overall objective of the study is in a systematic manner to learn how and for what types of evaluations the concept is applied. In particular we are interested to learn whether the recommendations for how to apply simulated work task situations are followed.The preliminary findings indicate a need for clarifications of the recommendations of how to use simulated work task situations. Particularly with respect to 'realism' of the simulated work task situations, which is emphasised through the need for tailoring of the simulated work task situations towards the group of study participant to ensure the depicted situations are realistic and interesting from the participants' point of view. Likewise it seems that the recommendation to involve the study participants' own information needs (to function as baseline of search interaction) is generally neglected in the reported studies.
45 citations
TL;DR: This study synthesizes research throughout different, yet complementary, areas, each capable of contributing findings and understanding to visual information seeking, according to generalized phases of existing information seeking models, which include the needs, actions, and assessments of users.
Abstract: The present study reports on the information seeking processes in a visual context, referred to throughout as visual information seeking. This study synthesizes research throughout different, yet complementary, areas, each capable of contributing findings and understanding to visual information seeking. Methods previously applied for examining the visual information seeking process are reviewed, including interactive experiments, surveys, and various qualitative approaches. The methods and resulting findings are presented and structured according to generalized phases of existing information seeking models, which include the needs, actions, and assessments of users. A review of visual information needs focuses on need and thus query formulation; user actions, as reviewed, centers on search and browse behaviors and the observed trends, concluded by a survey of users' assessments of visual information as part of the interactive process. This separate examination, specific to a visual context, is significant; visual information can influence outcomes in an interactive process and presents variations in the types of needs, tasks, considerations, and decisions of users, as compared to information seeking in other contexts.
25 citations
TL;DR: A sample of relevant literature published primarily since 2000 is reviewed to highlight how each area of study may help to inform and benefit the other.
Abstract: Informetrics and information retrieval (IR) represent fundamental areas of study within information science. Historically, researchers have not fully capitalized on the potential research synergies that exist between these two areas. Data sources used in traditional informetrics studies have their analogues in IR, with similar types of empirical regularities found in IR system content and use. Methods for data collection and analysis used in informetrics can help to inform IR system development and evaluation. Areas of application have included automatic indexing, index term weighting and understanding user query and session patterns through the quantitative analysis of user transaction logs. Similarly, developments in database technology have made the study of informetric phenomena less cumbersome, and recent innovations used in IR research, such as language models and ranking algorithms, provide new tools that may be applied to research problems of interest to informetricians. Building on the author's previous work (Wolfram in Applied informetrics for information retrieval research, Libraries Unlimited, Westport, 2003), this paper reviews a sample of relevant literature published primarily since 2000 to highlight how each area of study may help to inform and benefit the other.
21 citations
TL;DR: This study is the first attempt to investigate the top three help‐seeking situations as well as associated factors in blind users' DL interactions, and its implications are discussed with the goal of providing system design recommendations for reducingblind users' help‐ seeking situations.
Abstract: A sight†centered digital library (DL) design with complex structures and multimedia formats poses significant challenges for blind users. This study is the first attempt to investigate the top three help†seeking situations as well as associated factors in blind users' DL interactions. A mixed†method approach was adopted for this study. Multiple methods were applied to collect data from 30 blind subjects: questionnaires, presearch interviews, think aloud protocols, transaction logs, and postsearch interviews. The paper identifies the top three help†seeking situations, and associated factors in relation to user, system, task, and interaction. Moreover, different types of main†level factors were tested to investigate if they are correlated to each type of top situation, and qualitative data of sublevel factors offer insight into how these factors are associated with various situations. Without a clear understanding of these situations and factors, the objective of universal access to information in DLs cannot be achieved. DL design implications are further discussed with the goal of providing system design recommendations for reducing blind users' help†seeking situations.
19 citations