research-article

How does search behavior change as search becomes more difficult?

Authors:

Zhiwei GuanAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '10: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Pages 35 - 44

https://doi.org/10.1145/1753326.1753333

Published: 10 April 2010 Publication History

Abstract

Search engines make it easy to check facts online, but finding some specific kinds of information sometimes proves to be difficult. We studied the behavioral signals that suggest that a user is having trouble in a search task. First, we ran a lab study with 23 users to gain a preliminary understanding on how users' behavior changes when they struggle finding the information they're looking for. The observations were then tested with 179 participants who all completed an average of 22.3 tasks from a pool of 100 tasks. The large-scale study provided quantitative support for our qualitative observations from the lab study. When having difficulty in finding information, users start to formulate more diverse queries, they use advanced operators more, and they spend a longer time on the search result page as compared to the successful tasks. The results complement the existing body of research focusing on successful search strategies.

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Cited By

Vuong TJacucci GRuotsalo T(2024)Naturalistic Digital Behavior Predicts Cognitive AbilitiesACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/366034131:3(1-32)Online publication date: 7-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3660341
Kong HYadav SLowy RRuzinov DKim J(2024)Understanding Online Job and Housing Search Practices of Neurodiverse Young Adults to Support Their IndependenceProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642578(1-14)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642578
Smirnova A(2024)Syntactic Variation in Reduced Registers Through the Lens of the Parallel ArchitectureTopics in Cognitive Science10.1111/tops.12747Online publication date: 4-Jul-2024
https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12747
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Index Terms

How does search behavior change as search becomes more difficult?
1. Human-centered computing

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '10: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 2010

2690 pages

ISBN:9781605589299

DOI:10.1145/1753326

General Chair:
Elizabeth Mynatt
Georgia Institute of Technology
,
Program Chairs:
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
Vienna University of Technology
,
Scott Hudson
Carnegie Mellon University
,
Keith Edwards
Georgia Tech
,
Tom Rodden
University of Nottingham

Copyright © 2010 ACM.

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Published: 10 April 2010

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CHI '10: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 10 - 15, 2010

Georgia, Atlanta, USA

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Overall Acceptance Rate 6,199 of 26,314 submissions, 24%

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Cited By

Vuong TJacucci GRuotsalo T(2024)Naturalistic Digital Behavior Predicts Cognitive AbilitiesACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/366034131:3(1-32)Online publication date: 7-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3660341
Kong HYadav SLowy RRuzinov DKim J(2024)Understanding Online Job and Housing Search Practices of Neurodiverse Young Adults to Support Their IndependenceProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642578(1-14)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642578
Smirnova A(2024)Syntactic Variation in Reduced Registers Through the Lens of the Parallel ArchitectureTopics in Cognitive Science10.1111/tops.12747Online publication date: 4-Jul-2024
https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12747
Almansoori MIslam MGhosh SMondal MChatterjee R(2024)The Web of Abuse: A Comprehensive Analysis of Online Resource in the Context of Technology-Enabled Intimate Partner Surveillance2024 IEEE 9th European Symposium on Security and Privacy (EuroS&P)10.1109/EuroSP60621.2024.00048(773-789)Online publication date: 8-Jul-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/EuroSP60621.2024.00048
Botturi LHermida MAddimando LBeretta C(2024)Visualizing Online Search Processes for Information Literacy EducationInformation Experience and Information Literacy10.1007/978-3-031-52998-6_24(277-289)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52998-6_24
Shah CWhite RThomas PMitra BSarkar SBelkin N(2023)Taking Search to TaskProceedings of the 2023 Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval10.1145/3576840.3578288(1-13)Online publication date: 19-Mar-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3576840.3578288
Wang XLiu C(2023)Finding the Aha! Moment of SearchProceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology10.1002/pra2.80060:1(421-432)Online publication date: 22-Oct-2023
Stone M(2022)Understanding and Evaluating Search ExperienceSynthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services10.2200/S01166ED1V01Y202202ICR07714:1(1-105)Online publication date: 28-Mar-2022
https://doi.org/10.2200/S01166ED1V01Y202202ICR077
Shah CWhite R(2021)Task Intelligence for Search and RecommendationSynthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services10.2200/S01103ED1V01Y202105ICR07413:3(1-160)Online publication date: 9-Jun-2021
https://doi.org/10.2200/S01103ED1V01Y202105ICR074
Martiniello NAsuncion JFichten CJorgensen MHavel AHarvison MLegault ALussier AVo C(2021)Artificial intelligence for students in postsecondary educationAI Matters10.1145/3446243.34462506:3(17-29)Online publication date: 10-Feb-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3446243.3446250
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