Discovering real-world use cases for a multimodal math search interface
Keita Del Valle Wangari, Richard Zanibbi, Anurag K Agarwal · 2014
To use math expressions in search, current search engines require knowing expression names or using a structure editor or string encoding (e.g., LaTeX). For mathematical non-experts, this can lead to an "intention gap" between the query they wish to express and what the interface will allow them to express. min is a search interface that supports drawing expressions on a canvas using mouse/touch, keyboard and images. We present a user study examining whether min changes search behavior for mathematical non-experts, and to identify real-world usage scenarios for multimodal math search interfaces. Participants found query-by-expression using hand-drawn input useful, and identified scenarios in which they would like to use systems like min such as for locating, editing and sharing complex expressions (e.g., with many Greek letters), and working on complex math problems.