Interaction in
information retrieval
There is MUCH more to
searching than knowing
computers, networks &
commands, as there is
more to writing than
knowing word processing
packages
© Tefko Saracevic
1
IR as interaction

If USER & USE central:
Interaction is a dominant feature
of contemporary IR

Interaction has many facets:
 with
systems, technology
 with texts viewed/retrieved
 intermediaries with people

Several interactive IR models


none as widely accepted as
traditional IR model
Broader area: human-computer
interaction (HCI) studies
© Tefko Saracevic
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HCI: broader concepts
“Any interaction takes place
through one or more interfaces
& involves two or more
participants who each have
one or more purposes for the
interaction”
Storrs, 1994
Participants: people & artifacts ‘computer’ (everything in it)
 Interface: a common boundary
 Issue: identification of
important aspects, roles of each

© Tefko Saracevic
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HCI … definitions
“Interaction is the exchange of
information between
participants where each has the
purpose of using the exchange
to change the state of itself or of
one or more of others”
“An interaction is a dialogue
for the purpose of modifying
the state of one or more
participants”
 Key concepts:
exchange, change
© Tefko Saracevic
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IR interaction is ...
“... the interactive communication
processes that occur during the
retrieval of information by
involving all the major
participants in IR, i.e. the user,
the intermediary, and the IR
system.”
Ingwersen, 1992
 Involved:
users
intermediaries
(possibly)
everything in IR system
communication processes exchange of information
© Tefko Saracevic
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Central questions

What variables are involved?
 models

give lists
How do they affect the process?
How to control?
 experiments,
experience,
observation give answers

Do given interventions or
communications improve or
degrade the process?
 e.g.
searcher’s (intermediaries or
end-users) actions

Can systems be designed so that
searcher’s intervention
improves performance?
© Tefko Saracevic
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Interactive IR models

Several models proposed
 none
as widely accepted as the
traditional IR model

They all try to incorporate
objects (“texts”):
 IR system & setting
 interface
 intermediary, if present
 user’s characteristics
 information
 cognitive
aspects; task; problem;
interest; goal; preferences ...
 social
environment
 variety of processes between
them all.
© Tefko Saracevic
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User modeling
(treated in module 10, but introduced here to
illustrate one aspect of interaction)

Identifying elements about a user
that impact interaction, searching,
types of retrieval …:
 who
is the user (e.g. education)
 what is the problem, task at hand
 what is the need; question
 how much s/he knows about it
 what will be used for
 how much wanted, how fast
 what environment is involved

Much more than just a question
 Related
© Tefko Saracevic
to reference interview
8
Ingwersen’s cognitive
model
Among the first to view IR
differently from traditional model
 Included IR as system but also
things outside system that interact

objects – documents, images …
 intermediary – you - & interface
 user cognitive aspects
 user & general environment
 path of request (we call question)
 inf.
 from
environment (problem) to query
 path
of cognitive changes
 path of communication
 various other paths of interactions
© Tefko Saracevic
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Ingwersen’s cognitive
model graphically
Information
objects
Interface/
Intermediary
Query
IR system
setting
User’s Environcognitive
ment
space
Request
Cognitive
transformations
Interactive
communication
© Tefko Saracevic
10
Belkin’s episodes model

Concentrates on what happen in
interaction as process
 Ingwerson

concentrated on elements
Viewed interaction as a series of episodes
where a number of different things
happen over time
 depending
on user’s goals, tasks
 there is judgment, use, interpretation…
 processes of navigation, comparison,
summarization …
 involving different aspects of information &
inf. objects

While interacting we do diverse things,
perform various tasks, & involve
different objects
Think: what do you do while searching?
© Tefko Saracevic
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Belkin’s episodes
model
USER
USER
CO
CO
COMPARISON
USER
Goals
tasks
.....
INTERACTION
Judgment, use,
interpretation,
modification
REPRESENTATION
SUMMARIZATION
NA
NA
NAVIGATION
© Tefko Saracevic
INFORMATION
Type,
medium
mode
level
VISUALIZATION
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Stratified model - start:
A-C-A model of inf. use
Assumption: Users interact with IR
systems to use information
 A-C-A model components:

 Acquisition:
 users
are getting information
 Cognition:
 users
are absorbing information
 Application:
 users
are using absorbed information
Could be re-iterative, go back & forth
 Each involves

 different


aspects, elements
interplays between them
Basis for interaction model
© Tefko Saracevic
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Saracevic’s stratified model
Interaction: sequence of
processes/episodes occurring in
several levels or strata*
= INTREPLAY between levels
 Structure:

 Several
User levels
 Produce a Query - has characteristics
 Several ‘Computer’ levels
 They all meet on the Surface level
 Dialogue enabled by Interface
 user
utterances
 computer ‘utterances’
Adaptation/changes in all
 Geared toward Information use

© Tefko Saracevic
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Elements in the stratified
model of IR interaction
Situational
tasks...
Affective
intent..
Cognitive
knowledge
structure ...
Query
characteristics
Surface level
INTERFACE
Engineering
hardware, capacities...
Processing
software, algorithms...
Content
information resources - texts
representation ...
© Tefko Saracevic
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Roles of levels or strata

Defining of what’s involved
 whassup?

Help in recognition/separation of
differing variables
 each
strata or level involves
different elements, roles, &
processes

Observation of interaction
between strata - complex
dynamics
© Tefko Saracevic
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Interplay between levels

Interplay on user side:
 Cognitive:
between cognitive structures of
texts & users
 Affective: between intentions & other
 Situational: between texts & tasks
Similar interplay on computer side
 Surface:

 searching,
navigation, browsing, display,
visualization, query characterization

Interplay judgments in searching:
 evaluation
of results - relevance
 Changing of models: situation, need ...
 selection of search terms
 resulting modifications - feedback
© Tefko Saracevic
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Intermediaries - YOU

Intermediaries could participate
as an additional interface many roles:
 diagnostic
help in problem,
query formulation
 system interface handling
 selection, interpretation &
manipulation of inf. resources
 interpretation of results
 education of users
 enablers of end-users
Basic role: optimizing results
 Act in processes at different
levels

© Tefko Saracevic
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Implications
Interaction central to IR including in
searching of the Web
 We see it on the surface level



But result of MANY variables, levels
& their interplay
IR interaction requires knowledge
of these levels & interplays
 many
users have difficulties
 so do many professionals
Design of interfaces for interaction
still lacking
 People compensate in many ways
including trial & error, failures

© Tefko Saracevic
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What happens in
searching?

Highly reiterative process
 back
& forth between user
modeling & (re)formulating search
strategy
 goes on & on in many feedback
loops, twists & turns, shifts

Search strategy (the big picture)
 selection/reselection
of sources
 stating a query (search statement)
from a question

© Tefko Saracevic
terms, their expansions, logic,
qualifications, limitations
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Searching … (cont.)

Search tactics (action steps)
 what
to do first, next
 e.g. from broad to narrow searches
 format of results

Evaluation of results
 as
to magnitude - how much?
 as to relevance - how well?
 feedback to change after that
 user
model - e.g. question
 strategy - e.g. files, query
 tactics - e.g. narrowing, broadening
© Tefko Saracevic
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Implications (Shuman)
Prepare carefully
 Understand your opponent 
 e.g.

Anticipate
 e.g.

Dialog, LexisNexis
hidden meaning of terms
Have a contingency plan
 assessing
odds of success or
points of diminishing returns

Avoid ambiguity
 inherent

in language
Stay loose!
© Tefko Saracevic
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Stay loose?
I copied that, but always
wandered what it really means?
Dictionary says:
not firmly fastened or fixed in
place
???? OK!
or
© Tefko Saracevic
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© Tefko Saracevic
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