Supporting Sensemaking in Exploratory Information Seeking

Candidate: Mona Haraty
Type: Master of Science (MSc), School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Date: September 3, 2010
Senior Supervisor: Brian Fisher
Thesis: Download Thesis Document

Abstract

Exploratory search is a sensemaking activity that involves information seeking and iterative development of mental model of the domain under exploration.  It often begins with a vague and evolving information need that is multidimensional.

We designed and developed a web-browser extension, Explore-It, to facilitate exploratory web search aiming at transforming the search activity into a meaningful learning activity, in wich the user can get a sense of the domain under exploration while s/he has more control over the search process.  The design is based on the proposed multi-threaded model of exploratory search, according to which exploratory search is considered as a multi-threaded process, in which the user has prallel sub-goals addressing different aspects of the information need.

A case study is conducted to evaluate the design and investigate how the proposed model can provide support for sensemaking activities involved in the exploraty web search.

Keywords: exploratory search, sensemaking, Information seeking, reflection, cognitive architecture, externaliztion, cognitive load.