Purpose: The timespan over which exploratory searching can occur, as well as
the scope and volume of the search activities undertaken, can make it difficult
for searchers to remember key details about their search activities. Questi
difficulties are present both in the midst of searching as well as when
resuming a search that spans multiple sessions. In questo documento, we present a
search interface designed to support cross-session exploratory search in a
public digital library context. Methods: Search Timelines provides a
visualization of current and past search activities via a dynamic timeline of
the search activity (queries and saved resources). This timeline is presented
at two levels of detail. An overview timeline is provided alongside the search
results in a typical search engine results page design. A detailed timeline is
provided in the workspace, where searchers can review the history of their
search activities and their saved resources. A controlled laboratory study was
conducted to compare this approach to a baseline interface modelled after a
typical public digital library search/workspace interface. Risultati:
Participants who used Search Timelines reported higher levels of user
engagement, usability, and perceived knowledge gain, during an initial search
session and when resuming the search after a 7-8 day interval. This came at the
expense of the searchers taking more time to complete the search task, which we
view as positive evidence of engagement in cross-session exploratory search
processes. Conclusion: Search Timelines serves as an example of how lightweight
visualization approaches can be used to enhance typical search interface
designs to support exploratory search. The results highlight the value of
providing persistent representations of past search activities within the
search interface.

Questo articolo esplora i giri e le loro implicazioni.

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