TY - GEN

T1 - Interactive Visual Facets to Support Fluid Exploratory Search

AU - He, Chen

AU - Micallef, Luana

AU - Serim, Barlş

AU - Vuong, Tung

AU - Ruotsalo, Tuukka

AU - Jacucci, Giulio

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 ACM.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Exploratory search starts with ill-defined goals and involves browsing, learning, and formulating new targets for search. To fluidly support such dynamic search behaviours, we focus on devising interactive visual facets (IVF), visualising information facets to support user comprehension and control of the information space. To do this, we reviewed existing faceted search interfaces and derived two design requirements (DR) that have not been fully addressed to support fluid interactions in exploratory search. We then exemplified the requirements through devising an IVF tool, which coordinates a linear and a categorical facet representing the distribution and summarisation of items, respectively, and providing context for faceted exploration (DR1). To support rapid transitions between search criteria (DR2), the tool introduces a novel design concept of using facets to select items without filtering the item space. Particularly, we propose a filter-swipe technique that enables users to drag a categorical facet value sequentially over linear facet bars to view the items in the intersection of the two facets along with the categorical facet dynamically summarizing the items in the interaction. A user study of 11 participants with realistic email search tasks shows that dynamic suggestions through the timeline navigation can help discover useful suggestions for search; the novel design concept was favoured over using facet values as filters. Based on these practices, we derive IVF design implications for fluid, exploratory searches.

AB - Exploratory search starts with ill-defined goals and involves browsing, learning, and formulating new targets for search. To fluidly support such dynamic search behaviours, we focus on devising interactive visual facets (IVF), visualising information facets to support user comprehension and control of the information space. To do this, we reviewed existing faceted search interfaces and derived two design requirements (DR) that have not been fully addressed to support fluid interactions in exploratory search. We then exemplified the requirements through devising an IVF tool, which coordinates a linear and a categorical facet representing the distribution and summarisation of items, respectively, and providing context for faceted exploration (DR1). To support rapid transitions between search criteria (DR2), the tool introduces a novel design concept of using facets to select items without filtering the item space. Particularly, we propose a filter-swipe technique that enables users to drag a categorical facet value sequentially over linear facet bars to view the items in the intersection of the two facets along with the categorical facet dynamically summarizing the items in the interaction. A user study of 11 participants with realistic email search tasks shows that dynamic suggestions through the timeline navigation can help discover useful suggestions for search; the novel design concept was favoured over using facet values as filters. Based on these practices, we derive IVF design implications for fluid, exploratory searches.

KW - Exploratory search

KW - Fluid interaction

KW - Information facets

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120885215&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1145/3481549.3481565

DO - 10.1145/3481549.3481565

M3 - Article in proceedings

AN - SCOPUS:85120885215

T3 - ACM International Conference Proceeding Series

SP - 1

EP - 10

BT - 14th International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction, VINCI 2021

PB - Association for Computing Machinery

T2 - 14th International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction, VINCI 2021

Y2 - 6 September 2021 through 8 September 2021

ER -