1. Hugo Huurdeman, Jaap Kamps
University of Amsterdam
huurdeman@uva.nl, kamps@uva.nl
Presentation at ECIL 2015, Tallinn
Supporting the Process
Adapting Search Systems to Search Stages

2. Introduction
• Search engines
• indispensable tools for
information-related tasks
• “89 percent of college student
information searches begin with
a search engine” [OCLC05]
• Widely varying context of use
• information literacy searchers varies
• tasks range from simple to complex
• Complex tasks: multiple stages
Search
• not necessarily supported by search engines

3. The concept of ‘Task-sharing’
• We look at the concept of task-
sharing (Beaulieu, 2000)
• Both user and system playing active
and passive roles in performing tasks
• How should we design web search
systems to better facilitate task-
sharing between user and search
system?
• context: domain novice in research-
based tasks
user
system
task

4. 1. Process Models and the Conceptual
Implications for Search Support
IL perspective

5. 1.1 Information Literacy
• information literacy [Bawden01,Doyle94,,Virkus03]
• ability to “recognize when information is needed” & “to
locate, evaluate and use” information effectively [ACRL00]
• ‘skills-based literacy’ [Lloyd10]
• equated with abilities and information skills
• ‘complex phenomenon’ [Lloyd10]
• which acts as a catalyst for learning
• Various process models:
• Kuhlthau’s ISP model [Kuhlthau91]
• Big Six Model [Eisenberg&Berkowitz90]
• Research Process Model [Stripling&Pitts88] information
search
information
seeking
information
behavior
[Wilson99]

6. 1.2 Kuhlthau: Information Search Process [1991]+uncertainty-
feelings
thoughts
actions
vague focused
seeking general
information (exploring)
seeking pertinent
information (documenting)
uncertainty optimism confusion clarity confidence (dis)satisfaction
doubt direction
FormulationInitiation Selection Exploration Collection Presentation

7. 1.2 Big Six Model [Eisenberg/Berkowitz1990]
• Level 1: Process approach to solving information problems
• General problem-solving process
• Level 2: The Big Six Skills “Unified set of information and technology skills”
• six skills necessary to solve information problems
• Level 3: Components of the Big Six Skills
• ‘series of questions that students can learn to ask and answer’
Use of
information
Task
definition
Inf.seeking
strategies
Location &
access
Synthesis
Evaluation
“Each stage necessary for
resolution of a problem, but
not necessarily linear”
“General approach to information
problem-solving consisting of six
logical steps or stages”

8. 1.4 Summary
• Higher level aspects of information
seeking and problem-solving
• Information skills are not “isolated
incidents”, but “connected activities”
• Essential:
• providing support at appropriate
moments of the inf. seeking
(task) process
• allowing reflexive understanding
of one’s own process
• To what extent do current search
systems meet these needs?
user
system
task process

9. 2. Search Support for Stages of
Complex Tasks
System perspective

10. 2.1 Past approaches
• Dialogue systems
• Various systems in the 1980s
and early 1990s also
explicitly supported “all
stages of task performance”
[Ingwersen05]
• Later IR systems:
• increasingly streamlined
• focusing on query formulation
and results list inspection
• leaving it to the user to
perform the task itself
[Oddy77]
[Pejtersen89]

11. 2.2 Present approaches to Web search
• Google, Bing, Yahoo…
• “Streamlined”
approaches
• Personalization
• “tailoring search
results to an
individual’s
interests” [Hearst09]
• Based on
• explicit preferences
• implicit preferences

12. 2.3 Other paradigms
• Exploratory Search:
support for open-
ended tasks
[Marchionini06]
• Sensemaking:
support for analysis
and synthesis
[Hearst09]
[Yee03]
[Hearst13]
• [Marchionini06]

13. [Hearst13]

14. Few features have made it to the general search engines, however

15. 2.4 Limitations in search support
• Online search systems still do
not provide explicit support for
complex tasks
• Relevant results for query and
context, not necessarily relevant
for stage of search
• Personalization does not support
learning and construction within
tasks
• Hence, there is still limited task
sharing between user and system
• similar to Beaulieu’s statement in 2001
user
system
task

16. system
user
2.5 Towards more supportive systems
• Increase of support needed for the
information seeking process
• How can we design more
supportive systems?
task

17. 3. Reconciling Perspectives: Towards
Stage-Aware Systems

18. search system
3.1 Towards stage-aware systems
complex information seeking task
interaction cycle
proposed macro-
level support
current micro-
level support
interaction cycle interaction cycle interaction cycle
• Different strategies for stage-aware systems:
• stage-based adaptation
• stage-based instruction

19. 3.2.1 Adapt system based on stages (content)
• Adaptively introduce content
• e.g. based on Kuhlthau’s ISP model
complex information seeking task
show introductory sources show specific sources
do not “overwhelm” users
search system

20. Introductory
Introductory

21. Specific

22. 3.2.2 Adapt system based on stages (features)
• Adaptively introduce
functionality
complex information seeking task
sensemaking featuresexploratory search features
search suggestions
facets, word clouds, ..
histories, saved items,
organize, note-taking, ..
search system

23. • Interactive Social Book Search track at
CLEF
• [Gäde, Hall, Huurdeman, Kamps,
Koolen, Skov, Toms, Walsh, 2015]
• Experimental multistage interface for
book search: 3 panels
• Aim: support different stages in the
search process: browse, search &
review
• Inspired by various models of the
information seeking process
[Vakkari01,Kuhlthau03]
Multistage interface: search
Multistage interface: browse
Multistage interface: review
3.2.2 Example

24. 3.3 (2) Provide instruction based on stages
• ISP & Big6: importance of
“being aware” of one’s
information seeking process
• Ask for reflection
• Provide feedback
• Potential integration in VLEs
Use of
information
Inf.seeking
strategies
Location &
access
Synthesis
Evaluation
Task
definition

25. 3.3 Provide instruction based on stages
Use of
information
Inf.seeking
strategies
Location &
access
Synthesis
Evaluation
Task
definition
Explicitly ask to
weigh criteria
Introduce and support
notetaking and organisation
Show statistics of the process
effectivity, efficiency
comparisons with others
Articulate understanding of
information problem and needs
instructions for
search engine use
[MoravejiEtAl11] [BatemanEtAl12]

26. Requirements
• Not straightforward:
• detection current stage of a user
• manual
• automatic
• complex in practice, some
evidence may be found in
interaction patterns [Vakkari01,10]
• ongoing research

27. 4. Discussion and Conclusion

28. Towards process support
• Past systems: explicit
“dialog”[Ingwersen05]
• current systems: more limited
interaction
• Introducing process
support may have
positive effects
• evidence in various
studies, e.g. [WaltonEtAl11]
• Not easy to implement
• should be flexible
system
user
task
• no ‘tick the box’ approach [Johnston&Webber03]
• appropriate support

29. Reflections and future work
• Ongoing work and experiments:
• detecting search stages,‘guidance’ of searchers
• “multistage” interfaces
• in search & research settings (WebART)
• Approach could have benefits for education
• e.g. better insights into search process of students
• learn how they perform and allow educators
to perform interventions if needed
Search
Prefocus
Search
Postfocus
Search
Focus formulation

30. References (1/3)
• [ACRL00] American Library Association and Association for College and Research
Libraries: Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000)
• [BatemanEtAl12] Bateman, S., Teevan, J., White, R.W.: The Search Dashboard: How
Reflection and Comparison Impact Search Behavior. In: Proceedings CHI. pp. 1785–
1794, 2012.
• [Bawden01] Bawden, D.: Information and Digital Literacies: A Review of Concepts.
J.Doc. 57(2), 218-259 (2001)
• [Beaulieu00] Beaulieu, M.: Interaction in Information Searching and Retrieval. J.Doc.
56(4), 431-439 (2000)
• [Doyle94] Doyle, C.S.: Information Literacy in an Information Society: A Concept for
the Information Age. Information Resources Publications, Syracuse University,
Syracuse, NY (Jun 1994)
• [Eisenberg&Berkowitz90] Eisenberg, M.B., Berkowitz, R.: (1990), Information-Problem
Solving: The Big Six Skills Approach to Library & Information Skills Instruction.
Norwood: Ablex. Ablex, Norwood (1990)
• [GadeEtAl15] Gäde, M., Hall, M., Huurdeman, H., Kamps, J., Koolen, M., Skov, M.,
Toms, E., Walsh, D.: Overview of the INEX 2015 Interactive Social Book Search Track.
In: CLEF 2015 Online Working Notes. CEUR (2015)

31. References (2/3)
• [Hearst09] M. A. Hearst. Search user interfaces. Cambridge University Press, 2009.
• [Ingwersen05] Ingwersen, P., & Järvelin, K. (2005). The Turn - Integration of
Information Seeking and Retrieval in Context. Dordrecht: Springer.
• [Johnston&Webber03] Johnston, B., & Webber, S. (2003). Information Literacy in
Higher Education: A review and case study. Studies in Higher Education, 28(3), 335–
352.
• [Lloyd10] Lloyd, A. (ed.) Information Literacy Landscapes, pp. 35-70. Chandos Infor-
mation Professional Series, Chandos Publishing (2010)
• [Kuhlthau91] C. C. Kuhlthau. Inside the search process: Information seeking from the
user’s perspective. JASIS, 42:361–371, 1991.
• [Marchionini06] G. Marchionini. Exploratory search: from finding to understanding.
CACM, 49(4):41–46, 2006.

32. References (3/3)
• [MoravejiEtAl11] Moraveji, N., Russell, D., Bien, J., Mease, D.: Measuring
Improvement in User Search Performance Resulting from Optimal Search Tips. In:
Proceedings SIGIR. pp. 355–364. 2011.
• [Vakkari01] P. Vakkari. A theory of the task-based information retrieval process: a
summary and generalisation of a longitudinal study. Journal of Documentation, 57:44–
60, 2001.
• [Vakkari10] P. Vakkari. Exploratory Searching as Conceptual Exploration. In:
Proceedings HCIR. pp. 24-27 (2010)
• [WaltonEtAl11] Walton, G., Hepworth, M.:A Longitudinal Study of Changes in
Learners’ Cognitive States During and Following an Information Literacy Teaching
Intervention. J. Doc. 67(3), 449–479 (2011)
• [White09] R. W. White and R. A. Roth. Exploratory search: Beyond the query-response
paradigm. Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services, 1:1–
98, 2009.
• [Wilson99] T. D. Wilson. Models in information behaviour research. Journal of
Documentation, 55:249–270, 1999.

33. Hugo Huurdeman, Jaap Kamps
University of Amsterdam
huurdeman@uva.nl, kamps@uva.nl
Presentation at ECIL 2015, Tallinn
Supporting the Process
Adapting Search Systems to Search Stages