What XML-IR Users May Want

Abstract

It is assumed that by focusing retrieval on a granularity lower than documents XML-IR systems will better satisfy users’ information need than traditional IR systems. Participants in INEX’s Ad-hoc track develop XML-IR systems based upon this assumption, using an evaluation methodology in the tradition of Cranfield. However, since the inception of INEX, debate has raged on how applicable some of the Ad-hoc tasks are to real users. The purpose of the User-Case Studies track is to explore the application of XML-IR systems from the users’ perspective. This paper outlines QUT’s involvement in this track. For our involvement we conducted a user experiment using an XML-IR system (GPX) and three interfaces: a standard keyword interface, a natural language interface (NLPX) and a query-by-template interface (Bricks). Following the experiment we interviewed the users about their experience and asked them - in comparison with a traditional XML-IR system - what type of tasks would they use an XML-IR system for, what extra information they would need to interact with an XML-IR system and how would they want to see XML-IR results presented. It is hoped that the outcomes of this study will bring us closer to understanding what users want from XML-IR systems.