Toward Human Computer Information Retrieval
0Classical information retrieval had yielded novel techniques for applying computers to retrieval problems, including WWW search engines. The classical model of retrieval is one of matching queries to documents and ranking these matches. It is apparent, however, that a new model of retrieval is needed as people access large-scale digital libraries of multimedia content and vast collections of unstructured data in the WWW. What is needed are ways to bring human intelligence and attention more actively into the search process. To this end, researchers are beginning to combine the lessons from designing highly interactive user interfaces with the lessons from human information behavior to create new kinds of search systems that depend on continuous human control of the search process. I call this hybrid approach to the challenges of information seeking, human computer interaction (HCIR). HCIR aims to empower people to explore large-scale information bases but demands that people also take responsibility for this control by expending cognitive and physical energy. This talk will discuss the underlying theoretical model for HCIR and illustrate some early designs that aim to support such interactions.