People often repeat Web searches, both to find new information on topics they have previously explored and to re-find information they have seen in the past. The query associated with a repeat search may differ from the initial query but can nonetheless lead to clicks on the same results. This paper explores repeat search behavior through the analysis of a one-year Web query log of 114 anonymous users and a separate controlled survey of an additional 119 volunteers. Our study demonstrates that as many as 40 % of all queries are re-finding queries. Refinding appears to be an important behavior for search engines to explicitly support, and we explore how this can be done. We demonstrate that changes to search engine results can hinder refinding, and provide a way to automatically detect repeat searches and predict repeat clicks.

Monitoring occurs when users return to previously viewed web pages to view new or updated information. While tools exist to support web-based monitoring, we know little about the monitoring activities users engage in and the nature of the support needed. We have conducted 40 semi-structured interviews in order to better understand the types of information users monitor and the characteristics of different monitoring activities. Using the data collected during the interviews, we characterized monitoring as an activity within six web information tasks: Browsing, Communications, Fact Finding, Information Gathering, Maintenance, and Transactions. The results of our study

Re-finding, a common Web task, is difficult when previously viewed information is modified, moved, or removed. For example, if a person finds a good result using the query “breast cancer treatments”, she expects to be able to use the same query to locate the same result again. While re-finding could be supported by caching the original list, caching precludes the discovery of new information, such as, in this case, new treatment options. People often use search engines to simultaneously find and re-find information. The Re:Search Engine is designed to support both behaviors in dynamic environments like the Web by preserving only the memorable aspects of a result list. A study of result list memory shows that people forget a lot. The Re:Search Engine takes advantage of these memory lapses to include new results where old results have been forgotten.

Although Web search engines are targeted towards helping people find new information, people regularly use them to re-find Web pages they have seen before. Researchers have noted the existence of this phenomenon, but relatively little is understood about how re-finding behavior differs from the finding of new information. This paper dives deeply into the differences via analysis of three large-scale data sources: 1) query logs (queries, clicks, result impressions), 2) Web browsing logs (URL visits), and 3) a daily Web crawl (page content). It appears that people learn valuable information about the pages they find that helps them re-find what they are looking for later; compared to the initial finding query, re-finding queries are typically shorter, and rank the re-found URL higher. While many instances of refinding probably serve as a type of bookmark for a known URL, others seem to represent the resumption of a previous task; results clicked at the end of a session are more likely than those at the beginning to be re-found during a later session, while re-finding is more likely to happen at the beginning of a session than at the end. Additionally, we observe differences in cross-session and intra-session re-finding that may indicate different types of refinding tasks. Our findings suggest there is a rich opportunity for search engines to take advantage of re-finding behavior as a means to improve the search experience.

Although one of the most common uses for the Internet to search for information, Web search tools often fail to connect people with what they are looking for. This is because search tools are designed to satisfy people in general, not the searcher in particular. Different individuals with different information needs often type the same search terms into a search box and expect different results. For example, the query “breast cancer” may be used by a student to find information on the disease for a fifth grade science report, and by a cancer patient to find treatment options. This thesis explores how Web search personalization can help individuals take advantage of their unique past information interactions when searching. Several studies of search behavior are presented and used to inform the design of a personalized search system that significantly improves result quality. Without requiring any extra effort from the user, the system is able to return simple breast cancer tutorials for the fifth grader’s “breast cancer” query, and lists of treatment options for the patient’s. While personalization can help identify relevant new information, new information can

In this position paper, we argue that in the context of a user’s interaction with multiple platforms, consistency must be supported along with support for user’s task migration. We believe that the user should be able to perform a task using multiple user interfaces through an application that may or may not be similar at the interface level on each platform but, more importantly, one that supports seamless task migration. Further, we believe that consistency is desirable as long as it supports seamless task migration but should not dictate the design. We present examples of how successful multiple user interfaces have tackled the issue of consistency and discuss examples of why we should support task migration as a higher goal than consistency. We present a definition of task disconnect and its relationship to task migration. We also discuss some design issues related to consistency and task disconnect that must be considered in the development of multi-platform user interfaces. Author Keywords Multiple user interfaces, consistency, continuity, continuous

Abstract. Re-finding information that has been seen or accessed before is a task which can be relatively straight-forward, but often it can be extremely challenging, time-consuming and frustrating. Little is known, however, about what makes one re-finding task harder or easier than another. We performed a user study to learn about the contextual factors that influence users ’ perception of task difficulty in the context of re-finding email messages. 21 participants were issued re-finding tasks to perform on their own personal collections. The participants ’ responses to questions about the tasks combined with demographic data and collection statistics for the experimental population provide a rich basis to investigate the variables that can influence the perception of difficulty. A logistic regression model was developed to examine the relationships between variables and determine whether any factors were associated with perceived task difficulty. The model reveals strong relationships between difficulty and the time lapsed since a message was read, remembering when the sought-after email was sent, remembering other recipients of the email, the experience of the user and the user’s filing strategy. We discuss what these findings mean for the design of re-finding interfaces and future re-finding research. 1

Although one of the most common uses for the Internet to search for information, Web search tools often fail to connect people with what they are looking for. This is because search tools are designed to satisfy people in general, not the searcher in particular. Different individuals with different information needs often type the same search terms into a search box and expect different results. For example, the query “breast cancer” may be used by a student to find information on the disease for a fifth grade science report, and by a cancer patient to find treatment options. This thesis explores how Web search personalization can help individuals take advantage of their unique past information interactions when searching. Several studies of search behavior are presented and used to inform the design of a personalized search system that significantly improves result quality. Without requiring any extra effort from the user, the system is able to return simple breast cancer tutorials for the fifth grader’s “breast cancer ” query, and lists of treatment options for the patient’s. While personalization can help identify relevant new information, new information can

Planz provides a single, integrative document-like overlay to a folder hierarchy through the dynamic, ondemand assembly of XML fragments. This overlay provides a context in which to create or reference not only files but also email messages, web pages and informal notes. This paper describes an evaluation of Planz over a period of several days during which participants compared their experiences on two projects – one involving “status quo ” methods, a second project involving Planz. Also discussed is an architecture that extends on the front-end to provide additional overlays and on the back-end in support of additional information stores. Work on Planz is guided by a vision of “structural integrity”: Many tools, many modes of interaction applied to a common structure for the organization of and access to personal information.

Human memory plays an important role in personal information management (PIM). Several scholars have noted that people re-find information based on what they remember and it has been shown that people adapt their management strategies to compensate for the limitations of memory. Nevertheless, little is known about what people tend to remember about their personal information and how they use their memories to re-find. The aim of this article is to increase our understanding of the role that memory plays in the process of re-finding personal information. Concentrating on email re-finding, we report on a user study that investigates what attributes of email messages participants remember when trying to re-find. We look at how the attributes change in different scenarios and examine the factors which impact on what is remembered.