Improved search engines and navigation preference in personal information management
Improved search engines and navigation preference in personal information management
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改进了个人信息管理中的搜索引擎和导航首选项
DOI：
10.1145/1402256.1402259
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发表时间：
2008
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
S. Whittaker
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Ofer Bergman;Ruth Beyth;Rafi Nachmias;Noa Gradovitch;S. Whittaker
传统上，用户主要通过使用文件夹导航来访问他们的个人文件。我们评估桌面搜索的最新改进是否改变了个人信息管理（PIM）的这一基本方面。我们在两项研究中使用相同的问卷进行了测试：（a）Windows Study，Google Desktop和Windows XP Search Companion的纵向比较;（B）Mac Study，Mac Spotlight和Sherlock的大规模比较。改进搜索的效果很少。首先，不管搜索引擎，有一个强烈的导航偏好：平均而言，用户估计他们使用导航的文件检索事件的56-68%，但搜索的事件只有4-15%。第二，提高搜索引擎质量对搜索使用的影响是有限的和不一致的。第三，搜索主要是当用户记不住文件位置时的最后手段。最后，没有证据表明使用改进的桌面搜索引擎会导致人们改变他们的归档习惯，减少对分层文件组织的依赖。最后，我们提供理论解释导航偏好，PIM和互联网检索之间的差异，并建议PIM系统的替代设计方向。
Traditionally users access their personal files mainly by using folder navigation. We evaluate whether recent improvements in desktop search have changed this fundamental aspect of Personal Information Management (PIM). We tested this in two studies using the same questionnaire: (a) The Windows Studya longitudinal comparison of Google Desktop and Windows XP Search Companion, and (b) The Mac Studya large scale comparison of Mac Spotlight and Sherlock. There were few effects for improved search. First, regardless of search engine, there was a strong navigation preference: on average, users estimated that they used navigation for 56-68% of file retrieval events but searched for only 4-15% of events. Second, the effect of improving the quality of the search engine on search usage was limited and inconsistent. Third, search was used mainly as a last resort when users could not remember file location. Finally, there was no evidence that using improved desktop search engines leads people to change their filing habits to become less reliant on hierarchical file organization. We conclude by offering theoretical explanations for navigation preference, relating to differences between PIM and Internet retrieval, and suggest alternative design directions for PIM systems.