ScentTrails Integrating Browsing and Searching on the Web.pdf

ScentTrails: Integrating Browsing and Searching on the Web CHRIS OLSTON Stanford University and ED H. CHI Palo Alto Research Center ________________________________________________________________________ The two predominant paradigms for finding information on the Web are browsing and keyword searching. While they exhibit complementary advantages, neither paradigm alone is adequate for complex information goals that lend themselves partially to browsing and partially to searching. To integrate browsing and searching smoothly into a single interface, we introduce a novel approach called ScentTrails. Based on the concept of information scent developed in the context of information foraging theory, ScentTrails highlights hyperlinks to indicate paths to search results. This interface enables users to interpolate smoothly between searching and browsing to locate content matching complex information goals effectively. In a preliminary user study, ScentTrails enabled subjects to find information more quickly than by either searching or browsing alone. Categories and Subject Descriptors: H5.1 [Multimedia Information Systems]: Hypertext Navigation; H.1.2 [Information Systems]: User/Machine Systems-human factors; D.2.2 [Software Engineering]: Tools and Techniques-user Interfaces; H.5.1 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: Multimedia Information Systems--Evaluation/methodology. General Terms: Human Factors, Algorithms, Experimentation, Performance Additional Key Words and Phrases: ScentTrails, Information Scent, Searching, Browsing, World Wide Web ________________________________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION Finding information on the World Wide Web (WWW) is often difficult. Currently, there are two predominant interface modes for locating information: browsing and searching . Browsing i