Interacting with information
ANN E. BLANDFORD, Simon Attfield · Choice Reviews Online · 2010
In order to design technologies that better support work, it is necessary to better understand the details of that work. In this lecture, we review the situations (physical, social and temporal) in which people interact with information. We also discuss how people interact with in terms of an information journey, in which people, iteratively, do the following: recognise a need for information, find information, interpret and evaluate that in the context of their goals, and use the interpretation to support their broader activities. People's needs may be explicit and clearly articulated but, conversely, may be tacit, exploratory and evolving. Widely used tools supporting access, such as searching on the Web and in digital libraries, support clearly defined requirements well, but they provide limited support for other needs. Most other stages of the journey are poorly supported at present. Novel design solutions are unlikely to be purely digital, but to exploit the rich variety of resources, digital, physical and social, that are available. Theories of interaction and sensemaking can highlight new design possibilities that augment human capabilities. We review relevant theories and findings for understanding behaviors, and we review methods for evaluating working tools, to both assess existing tools and identify requirements for the future. Contents: Introduction: Pervasive Interactions / Background: Interaction at the Crossroads of Research Traditions / The Situations: Physical, Social and Temporal / The Behaviors: Understanding the Information / The Technologies: Supporting the Journey / Studying User Behaviors and Needs for Interaction / Looking to the Future