Subjective relevance : implications on interface design for information retrieval systems

Information retrieval (IR) systems are traditionally developed using the objective relevance approach based on the “best match” principle assuming that users can specify their needs in queries and that the documents retrieved are relevant to them. This paper advocates a subjective relevance (SR) app...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Foo, Schubert, Theng, Yin-Leng, Lee, Shu Shing, Goh, Dion Hoe-Lian
Other Authors: Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Language:English
Published: 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/79625
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6127
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:Information retrieval (IR) systems are traditionally developed using the objective relevance approach based on the “best match” principle assuming that users can specify their needs in queries and that the documents retrieved are relevant to them. This paper advocates a subjective relevance (SR) approach to value-add objective relevance and address its limitations by considering relevance in terms of users’ needs and contexts. A pilot study was conducted to elicit features on SR from experts and novices. Elicited features were then analyzed using characteristics of SR types and stages in information seeking to inform the design of an IR interface supporting SR. The paper presents initial work towards the design and development of user-centered IR systems that prompt features supporting the four main types of SR.