Interfaces for End-User Information Seeking by Gary Marchionini Presented by Tony Joachim March 23, 2003 for Information Retrieval

Summary Discusses the role of human- computer interfaces in the development of effective information management systems. Presents the issues involved in creating interfaces, and thoughts on the future of interface design.

Introduction The state of information: –Intangible –Limitless –More difficult to manage: 1.More choices for performing tasks. 2.More information objects to search through. 3.More information aimed at influencing our behavior.

Human-Computer Interaction The merger of technology (computer algorithms) and “human intelligence”(human heuristics) to remove the burden of information overload. i.e., It is important to understand and incorporate the needs of the user.

3 assumptions Three assumptions are made for the purpose of the article: 1.Users want answers to their information problems. 2.They want it right away and with as little effort as possible. 3.That there is an economic advantage to the continued development of good interfaces.

Research on Human-Computer Interaction Cognitive Engineering: –Study of the cognitive processes –User characteristics, abilities, and preferences –Development of user “models” Task Models: –Analyze tasks to determine how users perform. –Tasks applied to user modeling.

The Information-Seeking task A form of problem solving. “iterative” & not necessarily linear. 5 functions of the search process: 1.Define the problem 2.Select the source 3.Articulate the problem 4.Examine the results 5.Extract information

The Information-seeking task Select SourceExtract Information Articulate Problem Define Problem Examine Results

The Formalized IR Process - Muresan

1. Define the Problem Identify an information need, and choose its parameters. – Problems: System does not know what user needs. Definitions evolve throughout the problem- solving process. – Recommended Tools: Hypertext Outlining tools Spreadsheet for organizing – Today: Few systems offer assistance in defining a user’s information need.

2. Select the Source Choose the source from which to start the search. – Problem: Proliferation of resources. – Recommended Tools: Automatic database selection (IQUEST) – Today: Various tools: –Subject Searches –Research Guides

3. Articulate the Problem Clarify the problem in terms that the system understands. – Problem: Properly formatting the query based on the syntax of the system. – Recommended Tools: –Hypertext –Query-by-example –Online thesauri –Natural Language –Database of suggestions –Dynamic queries/ relevance feedback –Evolving queries –Problem articulation (pruning) –Spatial Database Representations

3. Articulate the Problem ( cont. ) – Today: Most textual suggestions quite common (esp. hypertext). Visual representations are lacking

4. Examine the Results Review results for promising or relevant “hits” – Problems: Larger data sources retrieve larger result sets. Difficult to sort through results. – Recommended Tools (Display Options) : Ranked results (weighting) Full-text Highlighted keywords Graphical displays Single vs. multiple windows Levels of granularity

4. Examine the Results ( cont. ) – Today: Display of textual results is common. Graphical displays are slowly developing: –InfoCrystal – A. Spoerri –Grokker 2Grokker 2

5. Extract Information Collect the electronic search results – Problem: Interface designs of the time, limited this feature. – Recommended Tools: Printing Saving Session history. Cut and paste information (“notebook”). – Today: All common features of larger resources. now common.

Integration & Functionality The incorporation of tools to support all five components, seamlessly. Development of “information environments” Many digital library projects now support multiple functions (Perseus).Perseus

Example IS Systems Marchionini uses the following systems as examples of “future” trends in systems that support the end user: –OPAC –Hypertext –Getting Help

OPACs Online Public Access Catalogs THEN: –Experimentation with visual representations –Improved interfaces and functionality over earlier versions. –Provide remote access to other library catalogs and resources. –Still mostly command driven; graphic interfaces are rare.

OPACs ( cont. ) NOW: –Visual interfaces common. –Hyperlinks and keyword searching. –Development of Digital Libraries and portals. –Use of interactivity.

Hypertext: ACM Hypertext Compendium Marchionini sees this as an example of future databases. THEN: –Series of hypertext links. –Bibliography. –Figures and tables.

Hypertext ( cont. ) NOW: –Most information management systems use hyperlinks. –Many information resources exist on the Internet. –Beginning to support the generation of dynamic tables and graphics.

Getting Help Answer Garden (for X-Windows) THEN: –Built for user support. –Like a garden, it “grows” a database of support questions. –User searches provide answers to previously answered questions. –Experts available to answer new questions.

Getting Help ( cont. ) NOW: –Most software contains Help features (Microsoft, etc.). –Many resources have also developed online FAQs and options (Macromedia, Microsoft, etc.). –Development of other forms of support (Newsgroups, chat, etc.).

Trends, Issues, and Research Directions “In electronic environments, the IR problem is not finding information, it is filtering information” –Marchionini (p. 161)

1. IS community must actively develop interfaces for a variety of information sources Development of appropriate interfaces for various information resources: –One size does not fit all. –Encourages the use of graphics and video in addition to full-text. –Improvement upon accessibility and usability. Today: Prediction of many of today’s Internet resources.

2. Consider ways to support Problem Definition and Information Extraction. Integration of information-seeking components to aid in the search process: –Computer assisted process to help users establish initial information need. –Provide options for retrieving relevant information throughout the process. Today: Natural language & semantics assist with problem definition. now a common format for information extraction.

3. Interfaces that support collaboration between multiple users Allow users to work on projects simultaneously. –Not simply accessing the same database. –Multiple users accessing and modifying documents. Today: Advances in collaborative tools (Wiki’s, etc.), but not often seen in information resources.

4. Development of more advanced searching techniques Move beyond simple string searching. –Clustering –Latent semantic indexing –Self-organization Today: Advanced forms of searching are constantly being developed.

5. New input/output modalities Development of more advanced systems for accessing and manipulating information. Systems that recognize: –Physical gestures (data gloves) –Facial expressions (Eye movements) –Speech recognizers Today: More focus on Output than Input, in terms of interactivity. A more natural way for problem articulation to evolve.

6. Continuous development of “intelligent interfaces” Continue to develop and study intelligent interfaces that collaborate with end-users. –Development of “Active agents” that perform some of the sorting and interpreting automatically. –Development of “information counselors” that learn from a specific user Today: User profiles, keep track of needs and patterns. Still developmental. Social implications.

7. Develop interfaces that adapt to individual and cultural differences. Systems that know the user, and can make judgments based on individual needs. Provide options to users for how the system functions: –Information Representation. –Input/Output options. –Use of multimedia interfaces. Today: Some systems (Ingenta) allow customization for regular users.

Conclusion While a dated article, Marchionini made sound predictions about interface design. Many of these recommendations have been implemented, and continue to develop.

Conclusion ( cont. ) Broad scope of content under the umbrella of human-computer interface design. Covers topics from basic search theory to ranking schemes: Supporting works by: –Frisse & Cousins –Gauch –Harman –O’Day & Jeffries