The dynamic HomeFinder: evaluating dynamic queries in a real-estate information exploration system

  • Authors:
  • Christopher Williamson;Ben Shneiderman

  • Affiliations:
  • Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, Center for Automation Research and Computer Science Department, University of Maryland;Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, Center for Automation Research and Computer Science Department, University of Maryland

  • Venue:
  • SIGIR '92 Proceedings of the 15th annual international ACM SIGIR conference on Research and development in information retrieval
  • Year:
  • 1992

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Abstract

We designed, implemented, and evaluated a new concept for visualizing and searching databases utilizing direct manipulation called dynamic queries. Dynamic queries allow users to formulate queries by adjusting graphical widgets, such as sliders, and see the results immediately. By providing a graphical visualization of the database and search results, users can find trends and exceptions easily. User testing was done with eighteen undergraduate students who performed significantly faster using a dynamic queries interface compared to both a natural language system and paper printouts. The interfaces were used to explore a real-estate database and find homes meeting specific search criteria.