Abstract

Re-finding information is commonly cited as a problem on the Web. One reason re-finding on the Web is difficult is that while people rely on a considerable amount of context to return to information (e.g., the original path taken to it), the Web makes no guarantee that the context will remain static. The Re:Search Engine is designed to help people return to information in the dynamic environment of the Web by maintaining consistency in the search results it returns across time. For example, if Connie, while looking to purchase a Global Positioning System, found several systems she liked via a search for “GPS”, she would expect to be able to use the same query to locate the exact same systems again. However, simply returning the original result list when she re-issues the query might omit newly available GPS systems that she would like to see. The ideal result list would contain both the systems Connie remembers having seen and high quality new systems. Because people tend to remember little of what is presented in a result list, when a person repeats a query, the Re:Search Engine can preserve what is remembered about the original result set while still presenting new information.

Citations