1. Exploratory Search Beyond the Query–Response Paradigm
Slides are created by Dmitri Danilov
University of Tartu, 2009 1

2. self.Introduction Humans are explorers by nature
Information overload => poverty of attention
Currently, basic predominant retrieval paradigm is "query and response" (lookup)
Lookup-based approach is insufficient!
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3. self.Lookup-based.search
Inability to fully represent how humans interact with search systems
The potential dynamism of information needs during a search session
Ignorance of important factors such as task context and information use
Real-life searches typically contain multiple query iterations, postquery browsing, and detailed result examination, all of which are not captured in this model
Exploration?
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4. self.ExploratorySearch.now()
Definition
Still define itself as separate subdiscipline
In many ways, exploratory search is as much about the journey through the information space as the destination
1. In exploratory search, people usually submit a tentative query to navigate proximal to relevant documents in the collection, then explore the environment to better understand how to exploit it
2. Selectively seeking and passively obtaining cues (signs, marks) about their next steps
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5. self.ExploratorySearch.Description
Key components: learning and investigation.
Represents the activities carried out by searchers who are either
Unfamiliar with the domain of their goal
Unsure about the ways to achieve their goals
Or even unsure about their goals in the first place!
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6. self.ExploratorySearch.Differentiate()
Multiple query iterations and multiple search sessions
Can last for days, weeks, or months
The information need that motivates an exploratory search is generally open-ended, persistent and multifaceted
The goal of the search extends beyond simply locating information toward activities associated with learning and understanding.
The interaction behaviors observed during an exploratory search are generally a combination of browsing and focused searching, with more emphasis on the former.
Exploratory searches may involve the collaboration of multiple people in a synchronous or asynchronous manner. (Plan vacation together)
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8. self.ExploratorySearch.Systems //or ESS
Support querying and rapid query refinement
Offer facets and metadata-based result filtering
Use search context (user's situation check)
Offer visualizations to support insight and decision making
Support learning and understanding
Facilitate collaboration
Offer histories, workspaces, and progress updates
Support task management
Serious Challenge for Developer
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9. self.ExploratorySearch.Estimate()
Still defining metrics..
Engagement and enjoyment
Information novelty
Task success
Task time
Learning and cognition
Difficult to achieve...
Difficult to gather results because difficult to measure and produce comparable tasks
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10. self.ExploratorySearch.Future()
Novel Interaction Paradigms
Context Awareness
Task Adaptation
Decision-Making Support and What-If Analysis
Beyond the Personal Computer
Collaborative and Social Search
Learning About New Domains
New Evaluation Paradigms
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11. self.Conclusion 11

12. The End 12

13. self.References
R.W. White and R.A. Roth, “Exploratory Search: Beyond the Query-Response Paradigm,” Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services, vol. 1, 2009, pp. 1–98.
G. Marchionini, “Exploratory search: from finding to understanding,” Communications of the ACM, vol. 49, 2006, pp. 41–46.