SGER: Talking with You: Exploring Interpersonal Information-Seeking

本研究旨在探讨人们向他人寻求信息的原因，以指导未来的研究，同时为专业实践提供信息，从长远来看，为系统设计提供信息。这项研究的重点是需要信息的日常情况，从寻找新工作和降低抵押贷款，到医疗保健、住房、儿童保育、社会活动和日常生活的其他方面。它旨在扩展人际信息寻求的经验和理论知识，并长期专注于设计改善信息服务的方法；让学生和代表性不足的群体以不同的身份参与；与相关的商业、社区和学术组织合作；将结果传达给国内和国际受众；并促进社区的兴趣和实践，以增强在日常环境中发生的信息行为。这项研究将采用自然主义的方法进行，将对两组人（全职妈妈和学龄前儿童）产生丰富的见解，以辨别他们日常信息行为的关键方面，特别是在不同的同步和异步媒体（例如，面对面，电话，电子邮件，聊天室，新闻组等）上寻求人际信息。使用基于理论的方法以及查特曼的规范行为理论和弗里德曼的价值敏感设计，将使用多种方法收集数据，包括不同形式的观察，访谈，参与者日记保存和每个人群约15-20名参与者的焦点小组。根据每个群体的性质和哪种方法最可行，可以亲自和/或在线收集数据。在实地观察期间，将观察参与者与其他人的互动，以发现信息共享事件，同时还将收集背景证据。在面试过程中，参与者会被问到这样的问题：他们与谁讨论特定的情况（找工作、生病、照顾孩子的需求、人际关系、家庭维护等），以及为什么，他们如何判断某人是否需要信息，他们如何个人管理日常信息，等等。潜在的参与者将被安排在“信息场地”——他们自然聚集在一起进行活动，但随后参与信息共享的地方。数据收集和分析将迭代进行，并与理论命题的生成相结合。研究结果将用于推导人际信息寻找理论模型的初始框架，该模型将与在任何与信息系统和服务的设计和交付相关的领域工作的学者和专业人员高度相关。这些领域从信息科学和计算机科学到商业、工程、医学和保健、社会工作和教育。迄今为止，从用户和信息的角度来看，几乎没有一个框架可以解释为什么人们会向其他人寻求信息，也没有一个框架可以用来支持人类的行为。该框架的丰富性将源于该研究的自然主义和扎根理论方法，以及它对参与日常生活的广泛参与者的关注。更广泛的影响：本科生和研究生将在项目的所有阶段以正式和非正式的身份参与，不同组织（如联合劝募协会和微软研究院）的合作伙伴也是如此。通过与非营利和盈利部门的不同利益相关者合作，起草改善专业实践的具体建议，并广泛传播。

This research aims to explore why people turn to other people for information with the purpose of guiding future study while informing professional practice and, in the long run, system design. The study focuses on everyday situations in which information is needed, ranging from finding new jobs and lower mortgages, to healthcare, housing, childcare, social activities, and other aspects of daily life. It aims to expand empirical and theoretical knowledge of interpersonal information seeking with a long-term focus on devising ways for improving information services; involving students and underrepresented groups in varied capacities; collaborating with cognate business, community and academic organizations; communicating the results to national and international audiences; and facilitating a community of interest and practice around enhancing information behavior as it occurs in everyday contexts. The study will be conducted using a naturalistic approach that will yield rich insights into two groups of people (stay-at-home mothers and preteens) to discern key aspects of their everyday information behavior, particularly regarding interpersonal information seeking over different synchronous and asynchronous media (e.g., face-to-face, telephone, email, chat rooms, newsgroups, etc). Using a grounded theory approach along with Chatman's theory of normative behavior and Friedman's value sensitive design, data will be collected using multiple methods, including different forms of observation, interviews, participant diary keeping, and focus groups with approximately 15-20 participants for each population. Data may be collected in-person and/or online depending on the nature of each group and which methods appear most viable. During field observation, participants' interactions with other people will be watched for incidents of information sharing while contextual background evidence also will be gathered. During interviews participants will be asked such questions as with whom they discuss particular situations (finding a job, illness, childcare needs, relationships, home maintenance, etc.,) and why, how they can tell if someone needs information, how they personally manage everyday information, etc. Potential participants will be located at "information grounds"-places where they gather naturally for an activity but subsequently engage in information sharing. Data collection and analysis will occur iteratively and combined with the generation of theoretical propositions. The study results will be used to derive the initial framework for a theoretical model of interpersonal information seeking that will be highly relevant to scholars and professionals working in any field related to the design and delivery of information systems and services. These fields range from information science and computer science to business, engineering, medicine and healthcare, social work and education. To-date virtually no framework exists from a user and information perspective that can explain why people turn to other people for information and that can be used for supporting human behavior. The framework's richness will stem from the study's naturalistic and grounded theory approach together with its focus on a broad range of participants as they engage in daily life.Broader Impacts: Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in formal and informal capacities throughout all stages of the project, as will partners at different organizations such as the United Way and Microsoft Research. Concrete suggestions for improving professional practice will be drafted by working with different stakeholders in the nonprofit and profit sectors, and disseminated broadly.