Which user interaction for cross-language information retrieval? Design issues and reflections

  • Authors:

  • Daniela Petrelli;Stephen Levin;Micheline Beaulieu;Mark Sanderson

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, S1 4DP Sheffield, United Kingdom;Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, S1 4DP Sheffield, United Kingdom;Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, S1 4DP Sheffield, United Kingdom;Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, S1 4DP Sheffield, United Kingdom

  • Venue:
  • Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
  • Year:
  • 2006

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Abstract

A novel and complex form of information access is cross-language information retrieval: searching for texts written in foreign languages based on native language queries. Although the underlying technology for achieving such a search is relatively well understood, the appropriate interface design is not. The authors present three user evaluations undertaken during the iterative design of Clarity, a cross-language retrieval system for low-density languages, and shows how the user-interaction design evolved depending on the results of usability tests. The first test was instrumental to identify weaknesses in both functionalities and interface; the second was run to determine if query translation should be shown or not; the final was a global assessment and focused on user satisfaction criteria. Lessons were learned at every stage of the process leading to a much more informed view of what a cross-language retrieval system should offer to users. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.