Typology of User Uncertainty in the Selection of Web Search Terms
Yangwoo Kim · 2006
While numerous studies have suggested the significance of uncertainty during the process of information-seeking, less research has investigated user uncertainty in the actual search process using a real system. This study investigated user perceptions of uncertainty in the process of the selection of Web search terms in the real information-seeking process. The subjects at the doctoral or post-doctoral level were limited to the discipline of science in order to understand user perceptions in this field. The findings revealed various dimensions, types, and incidents of uncertainty. The typology of uncertainty facilitated an understanding of the subjects' information-seeking context by identifying various aspects of the context that constituted the subjects' uncertainty. The identification of two principal origins of uncertainty based on the different types of uncertainty generated implications to improve information systems and services.