A direct manipulation interface for boolean information retrieval via natural language query

Anick, Peter; Brennan, John; Flynn, Rex A.; Hanssen, D. R.; Alvey, B.; Robbins, Janet

doi:10.1145/96749.98015

Cited by 54 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…For example, truth tables and Venn diagrams have been shown to be effective for specifying simple queries [12,19,20]. Another system used tiles in a two-dimensional grid, where one dimension represented union and the other represented intersection, although these implicit semantics were found to be confusing [21]. A system that used the graphical metaphor of water flowing through filters was found to be superior to boolean expressions [8], however the screen space required for this tool might limit its effectiveness in a larger context such as a programming language.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tabular and textual methods for selecting objects from a group

Pane

Myers

Proceeding 2000 IEEE International Symposium on Visual Languages

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The accurate formulation of boolean expressions is a notorious problem in programming languages and database query tools. This paper studies the ways that untrained users naturally express and interpret queries, revealing some of the underlying reasons why this task is so difficult. Among the study ' IntroductionWe are applying human-computer interaction techniques to the design of new programming language features. Design decisions are resolved by looking to prior research for warnings about potential problems, suggestions for design alternatives, and guidance in selecting among various potential solutions. When necessary, we perform new user studies to investigate questions that are not fully addressed by prior research.We are currently using this method to design a primarily textual programming system for children to use in creating interactive simulations and games. One of the challenges of this effort is to craft the features of the system to address the problems observed in the prior research. While this is straightforward in some cases, it is quite difficult in others.One of the more notorious problem areas in programming languages is the accurate specification of boolean expressions [1]. In addition to programming languages, this same problem also appears in the task of formulating queries for common end-user activities such as web searching, library catalog searching, and other database retrieval tasks [2]. Despite the great difficulty that users have demonstrated with using the boolean operators AND , OR , and NOT to construct these expressions, no universally better alternatives have been discovered, so most programming languages continue to rely on them, including many visual and forms-based languages (e.g., [3,4]). Early web search engines also used these operators, although many have turned to less expressive query languages (for example, the plus and minus unary operators for inclusion and exclusion). Newsweek reports that even with these simplifications, most web users are dissatisfied with search engines, and less than 6% manage to use these operators in their searches [5]. The problems with boolean queries are exemplified in studies of non-programmers writing solutions to programming problems in their own words [6,7]. For example, in these studies it was very common for participants to use the word AND where the word OR is the correct boolean operator. Instead of saying something like "count the cars with license plates from Georgia or Louisiana" they would say "count the cars with license plates from Georgia and Louisiana." The latter version refers to an empty set of license plates when interpreted according to boolean logic, but in English it is usually interpreted to mean the union of the two states' license plates.1 It was also noted that the words OR and NOT rarely appeared, suggesting that boolean expressions are not a natural way to formulate these statements. The participants often used other words and sentence structures to specify their queries accurately. For example, rathe...

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This two-dimensional layout is similar to the grid of tiles described by Anick et al [21] -one dimension implements intersection and the other implements union. However, match forms provide cues to help users remember which operator uses each dimension, such as the text in the form heading and the visual grouping.…”

Section: Tabular Query Formsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tabular and textual methods for selecting objects from a group

Pane

Myers

Proceeding 2000 IEEE International Symposium on Visual Languages

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“…This two-dimensional layout is similar to the grid of tiles described by Anick et al [1], with some additional cues to help users understand which opera- tor uses each dimension. The scope of the NOT operator is made explicit by confining it to a single term.…”

Section: Proposed Tabular Query Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

Improving user performance on Boolean queries

Pane¹,

Myers²

2000

CHI '00 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computer Systems - CHI '00

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The accurate formulation of boolean expressions is a notorious problem in programming languages as well as database and web query tools. Users have demonstrated great difficulty with the common textual method for specifying these queries, which uses the boolean operators AND , OR , and NOT, partly because these words are used inconsistently in natural languages . This paper proposes a tabular boolean query language that avoids the need to use named operators, provides a concrete distinction between conjunction and disjunction, and makes grouping more explicit. A study comparing this tabular language with textual boolean expressions found that untrained users perform better when they express their queries in the tabular language, and about equally well when interpreting queries written in either language. We conclude that systems can benefit by adopting a tabular notation for query formulation. KeywordsEnd-user programming, psychology of programming, user studies, information retrieval.

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“…The application of information visualization to queries has primarily been focused on the visualization of Boolean queries [13,33,2,25]. This activity in supporting Boolean queries can be attributed to the great difficulties that many users have with crafting correctly specified Boolean queries [9].…”

Section: Information Visualizationmentioning

confidence: 99%