Using interview data to identify evaluation criteria for interactive, analytical question-answering systems

  • Authors:

  • Diane Kelly;Nina Wacholder;Robert Rittman;Ying Sun;Paul Kantor;Sharon Small;Tomek Strzalkowski

  • Affiliations:

  • School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, 100 Manning Hall, CB #3360, Chapel Hill, NC 27599–3360;School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901;School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901;School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901;School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901;Institute for Informatics, Logics and Security Studies, University of Albany, SUNY, Room 262, Social Science Building, Albany, NY 12222;Institute for Informatics, Logics and Security Studies, University of Albany, SUNY, Room 262, Social Science Building, Albany, NY 12222

  • Venue:
  • Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
  • Year:
  • 2007

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to identify potential evaluation criteria for interactive, analytical question-answering (QA) systems by analyzing evaluative comments made by users of such a system. Qualitative data collected from intelligence analysts during interviews and focus groups were analyzed to identify common themes related to performance, use, and usability. These data were collected as part of an intensive, three-day evaluation workshop of the High-Quality Interactive Question Answering (HITIQA) system. Inductive coding and memoing were used to identify and categorize these data. Results suggest potential evaluation criteria for interactive, analytical QA systems, which can be used to guide the development and design of future systems and evaluations. This work contributes to studies of QA systems, information seeking and use behaviors, and interactive searching. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.