Understanding and Supporting Information Seeking Tasks among Multiple Sources

Due to the explosion of information on the web, more people than ever are using online search applications to find answers within stacks of digital documents. This development makes research into search behavior and how people use search applications increasingly important. Alia Amin studied search tasks across multiple sources, such as the internet, databases, and digital libraries, as well as the influence of different types of users and domains on search behavior. Her research provides insights into the search tasks of various types of users and domains. Amin studied the search behavior of domain experts in cultural heritage and the search behavior of inexperienced users in the area of mobile searching. Additionally, she conducted research on the design process and evaluation of new, innovative interfaces to support specific search tasks. The results of her research offer several signposts for future research in this multidisciplinary field. Amin identified requirements for supporting complex search tasks across multiple sources. Furthermore, she developed several applications as examples. These applications can serve as inspiration for both the Semantic Web community and the Human-Computer Interaction community. Amin conducted her research at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam.