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)....
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...…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
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01 Jan 2016
18 citations
TL;DR: Familiarity with health topics affects health information search behaviors by identifying the common search activity patterns exhibited by groups of consumers with different levels of familiarity during health information searches.
Abstract: Background: Non-medical professionals (consumers) are increasingly using the Internet to support their health information needs. However, the cognitive effort required to perform health information searches is affected by the consumer’s familiarity with health topics. Consumers may have different levels of familiarity with individual health topics. This variation in familiarity may cause misunderstandings because the information presented by search engines may not be understood correctly by the consumers. Objective: As a first step toward the improvement of the health information search process, we aimed to examine the effects of health topic familiarity on health information search behaviors by identifying the common search activity patterns exhibited by groups of consumers with different levels of familiarity. Methods: Each participant completed a health terminology familiarity questionnaire and health information search tasks. The responses to the familiarity questionnaire were used to grade the familiarity of participants with predefined health topics. The search task data were transcribed into a sequence of search activities using a coding scheme. A computational model was constructed from the sequence data using a Markov chain model to identify the common search patterns in each familiarity group. Results: Forty participants were classified into L1 (not familiar), L2 (somewhat familiar), and L3 (familiar) groups based on their questionnaire responses. They had different levels of familiarity with four health topics. The video data obtained from all of the participants were transcribed into 4595 search activities (mean 28.7, SD 23.27 per session). The most frequent search activities and transitions in all the familiarity groups were related to evaluations of the relevancy of selected web pages in the retrieval results. However, the next most frequent transitions differed in each group and a chi-squared test confirmed this finding (P<.001). Next, according to the results of a perplexity evaluation, the health information search patterns were best represented as a 5-gram sequence pattern. The most common patterns in group L1 were frequent query modifications, with relatively low search efficiency, and accessing and evaluating selected results from a health website. Group L2 performed frequent query modifications, but with better search efficiency, and accessed and evaluated selected results from a health website. Finally, the members of group L3 successfully discovered relevant results from the first query submission, performed verification by accessing several health websites after they discovered relevant results, and directly accessed consumer health information websites. Conclusions: Familiarity with health topics affects health information search behaviors. Our analysis of state transitions in search activities detected unique behaviors and common search activity patterns in each familiarity group during health information searches. [JMIR Med Inform 2015;3(1):e16]
17 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new developed theoretical-conceptual framework for Critical Online Reasoning (COR), situated in relation to prior approaches ('information problem-solving','multiple-source comprehension', web credibility', 'informal argumentation', 'critical thinking'), along with a evidence-centered assessment framework and its preliminary validation is presented.
Abstract: Critical evaluation skills when using online information are considered important in many research and education frameworks; critical thinking and information literacy are cited as key 21st century skills for students. Higher education may play a special role in promoting students’ skills in critically evaluating (online) sources. Today, higher education students are more likely to use the Internet instead of offline sources such as textbooks when studying for exams. However, far from being a value-neutral, curated learning environment, the Internet poses various challenges, including a large amount of incomplete, contradictory, erroneous, and biased information. With low barriers to online publication, the responsibility to access, select, process, and use suitable relevant and trustworthy information rests with the (self-directed) learner. Despite the central importance of critically evaluating online information, its assessment in higher education is still an emerging field. In this paper, we present a new developed theoretical-conceptual framework for Critical Online Reasoning (COR), situated in relation to prior approaches ('information problem-solving', 'multiple-source comprehension', 'web credibility', 'informal argumentation', 'critical thinking'), along with a evidence-centered assessment framework and its preliminary validation. In 2016, the Stanford History Education Group developed and validated the assessment of Civic Online Reasoning for the United States. At the college level, this assessment holistically measures students' web searches and evaluation of online information using open Internet searches and real websites. Our initial adaptation and validation indicated a need to further develop the construct and assessment framework for measuring higher education students in Germany across disciplines over their course of studies. Based on our literature review and prior analyses, we classified COR performance into three uniquely combined facets: (i) online information acquisition, (ii) critical information evaluation, and (iii) reasoning based on evidence, argumentation, and synthesis. We modeled COR ability from a behavior, content, process, and development perspective, specifying scoring rubrics in an evidence-centered design. Preliminary validation results from expert interviews and content analysis indicated that the assessment covers typical online media and challenges for higher education students in Germany and contains cues to tap modelled COR abilities. We close with a discussion of ongoing research and potentials for future development.
16 citations
01 Jan 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the findings of journalists' information seeking and behaviour on social media through exploiting grounded theory methodology, based on interviews with twenty journalists along with a study of a set of university level journalism modu
Abstract: This thesis presents the findings of journalists' information seeking and behaviour on social media through exploiting grounded theory methodology. Based on interviews with twenty journalists along with a study of a set of university level journalism modu
13 citations
TL;DR: A model that illustrates user involvement and system support as they occur in user‐ dominated tactics, system‐dominated tactics, and balanced tactics is proposed to facilitate effective and efficient applications of the 3 groups of search tactics.
Abstract: Both user involvement and system support play important roles in applying search tactics. To apply search tactics in the information retrieval (IR) processes, users make decisions and take actions in the search process, while IR systems assist them by providing different system features. After analyzing 61 participants’ information searching diaries and questionnaires we identified various types of user involvement and system support in applying different types of search tactics. Based on quantitative analysis, search tactics were classified into 3 groups: user-dominated, system-dominated, and balanced tactics. We further explored types of user involvement and types of system support in applying search tactics from the 3 groups. The findings show that users and systems play major roles in applying user-dominated and system-dominated tactics, respectively. When applying balanced tactics, users and systems must collaborate closely with each other. In this article, we propose a model that illustrates user involvement and system support as they occur in user-dominated tactics, system-dominated tactics, and balanced tactics. Most important, IR system design implications are discussed to facilitate effective and efficient applications of the 3 groups of search tactics.
13 citations