Heather Lynn O'Brien

University of British Columbia | UBC ·  School of Library, Archival and Information Studies

Information researchers increasingly use participatory, arts-based methods to better understand the social contexts of individuals and populations. However, it remains rare to engage in qualitative analysis of the resulting visual artefacts. This article explores approaches to analysing visual media generated through a specific arts-based method, i...

User engagement has become an important outcome measure in interactive information retrieval (IIR) research, as commercial (e.g., search engines and e-commerce companies) and educational (e.g., libraries) enterprises focus on capturing and retaining customers. User engagement pertains to the kind of investment – emotional, cognitive, behavioural –...

This panel argues that information professionals and literacy educators play an important bridging role between universities and community groups and stakeholders. We describe the context of universitycommunity knowledge exchange, which is increasingly expected, but remains under-supported and under-theorised, and consider new opportunities that ex...

Young fathers, like all parents, have a range of information needs, such as learning how to introduce their babies to solid foods. Yet compared to young mothers and older parents, they have fewer resources available to them. To date, young fathers have not been identified as a priority population in need of parenting-related information and face un...

Gamification has been proposed as a possible solution to low user engagement in open collaboration communities. However, most studies do not present statistical analyses and few studies analyze the criterion validity between behavioral and self-reported engagement measures. This study seeks to understand whether gamification contributed to greater...

This chapter provides an overview of methodological approaches and current work in the evaluation of user engagement (UE). Using a series of propositions about the nature of engagement, I review a selection of recent research that utilizes varied methodological approaches to study UE in various human-computer interaction settings. The propositions...

An important area of IR research involves understanding how task characteristics influence search behaviors and outcomes. Task complexity is one characteristic that has received considerable attention. One view of task complexity is through the lens of a priori determinability -- the level of uncertainty about task outcomes and processes experience...

Cambridge Core - Knowledge Management, Databases and Data Mining - Innovations in Information Retrieval - edited by Allen Foster

User engagement (UE) and its measurement have been of increasing interest in human-computer interaction (HCI). The User Engagement Scale (UES) is one tool developed to measure UE, and has been used in a variety of digital domains. The original UES consisted of 31-items and purported to measure six dimensions of engagement: aesthetic appeal, focused...

This chapter seeks to provide an overview of engagement antecedents, or factors that influence engagement. This work is not exhaustive, but will provide the reader with both a sound understanding of the concepts explored in the literature and ideas for emerging work. The chapter offers a conspectus of existing user engagement (UE) models, which wil...

This work explores embodied mobile information practices through a photo-diary and interview study with nineteen smartphone users. We qualitatively analyze 234 diary entries and one hundred descriptions of diary entries to explore how mobile devices, specifically smartphones, facilitate embodied information seeking and production, drawing insights...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to utilize McKenzie’s two-dimensional model of information practices to situate child feeding practices as complex, socially situated information practices. Further, the authors examined a host of contextual factors (financial, physical, and social) that enabled and constrained information practices within the t...

Young fathers are frequently stigmatized as absentee and uninvolved in parenting. Although recent research has highlighted the need to develop programs and services specifically for this population, little consideration has been given to the kind of information young fathers would like to obtain, or the barriers inherent in existing programs and in...

Information world mapping (IWM) is a participatory, arts‐based elicitation method for use in interviews about information behaviours or practices. The participant‐drawn maps that result from this technique are typically used as ancillary data sources to aid in analysis of interview transcripts; however it may be possible, and even useful, to analyz...

The socially constructed information worlds within which individuals live, work and play necessarily shape their information practices. One way in which this occurs is through the social construction of knowledge, expertise and ignorance, including which actors are considered to possess authoritative knowledge through administrative authority or la...

There is minimal, mainly anecdotal, evidence of discourse about the professional development of information science (IS) academics. In an effort to initiate discussion on professional development and encourage information sharing among IS faculty and administrators, we organized a panel at the 2016 Annual Meeting of ASIS&T (Lopatovska et al., 2016)...

Sisu is a gamified learning application designed to assist school-aged children who are struggling to read. Sisu utilizes readily-available technology to support the child’s self-directed learning at home, with unique elements tied to the learning experience: (1) a spelling game with (2) an empathic agent, and (3) a mini-game. The empathic agent ut...

User engagement (UE) is a quality of user experience characterized by the depth of an actor's cognitive, temporal, and/or emotional investment in an interaction with a digital system. Currently more art than science, UE has gained theoretical and methodological traction over the past decade, yet there is still a need to establish empirical links be...

Individual differences have long been of interest in information science as they bear on the design of information systems and services for specific populations. Yet little is known as to which individual differences make a difference to search outcomes, both across applications and for diverse user groups. A scoping study of information seeking an...

Devon Greyson is a postdoctoral fellow at the Child and Family Research Institute and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. With a PhD in interdisciplinary studies from the University of British Columbia, Devon studies what people do with health information and when this matters for health and social equity. Their research has be...

Asking questions is a central element of Interactive Information Retrieval (IIR) studies, yet the challenges associated with asking "good" questions is are rarely discussed. This perspectives paper examines the development, evaluation, and application of questionnaires in IIR research. The authors draw upon prior literature and their own research t...

We conducted a study to examine how people interact with and learn from human-interest news stories. Participants engaged with news stories and completed knowledge retention tests to evaluate their ability to remember the content. We analyzed how the stories and the way in which they were presented (audio, video, text) related to knowledge retentio...

This chapter examines the theoretical foundations of user engagement. First, the definition of user engagement is deconstructed using key principles for evaluating concepts: clarity, scope and meaning. Second, two theoretical frameworks, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Theory and John Dewey’s Philosophy of Experience, are presented that have informe...

This chapter focuses on the User Engagement Scale (UES), a 31 item experiential questionnaire that measures six dimensions of user engagement: novelty, felt involvement, focused attention, aesthetic appeal, perceived usability, and endurability. The UES has been adopted and adapted to measure engagement in various domains, including online search,...

Introduction: Consumer health websites play a vital role in the mobilization and translation of population-based health information. In order to decide whether to engage with these websites or recommend them to others, health consumers and librarians need a quick and effective means of evaluating them. The poster describes the development and appli...

User engagement is recognized as an important component of the user experience, but relatively little is known about the effect of engagement on the learning outcomes of such interactions. This experimental user study examines the relationship between user engagement (UE) and comprehension in varied academic reading environments. Forty-one universi...

Online form-filling and transactions are extremely common, both for industry and government; and it is important to provide a satisfying user experience during these tasks if customers or citizens are to continue using online channels. However, reliable measures of experience in these cases are limited. Other areas of information interaction, e.g.,...

The purpose of this half-day workshop is to bring together academic and industry interactive information retrieval (IIR) researchers with an interest in evaluation methodologies. The workshop articulates contemporary challenges in the investigation of IIR and invites user- and system-oriented researchers to work collaboratively to address these cha...

This paper reports on a study of digital reading that investigates the effects of different textual environments on information interaction and comprehension outcomes. While there is a large body of literature that compares print and digital reading, research that compares differently designed digital reading environments is limited. Such work can...

Our research project explores the role of images and sketches as information in the collaborative design work of architecture students. Research literature has shown that images and sketching play an important role in the design process (Beaudoin, 2009; Beaudoin, 2014; Elliot, 2001; Makri, 2010). However, little is known about what role images and...

Many publications, institutional policies, and resources focus on the professional development of doctoral students and junior faculty while professional development needs and resources available to mid-career faculty receive limited attention. The proposed panel aims to facilitate a discussion on issues faced by mid-career faculty in the informati...

We conducted a study in which participants interacted with human-interest news stories in video, audio or text format. We gathered post-task impressions of participants' interest in and curiosity about the stories, and their behavioral intentions to link to related content or recommend the stories to others. We explored the individual and situation...

We conducted a pilot study to explore refugee students' access to and use of information during the settlement process. Using arts-based elicitation and semi-structured interview techniques, we probed the information world of a refugee student studying in Canada. Our findings begin to identify the scope and variety of information sources that stude...

User Engagement (UE) is a complex concept to investigate. The purpose of this book is not to constrain UE to one perspective, but to offer a well-rounded appreciation for UE across various domains and disciplines. The text begins with two foundational chapters that describe theoretical and methodological approaches to user engagement; the remaining...

This panel focuses on experiential learning as a foundation of information science education. We critically examine the underlying philosophies, pedagogical attitudes, and specific teaching methods needed to foster a new generation of information science professionals. Spanning the pedagogical spectrum from theory to practice, we analyze how the in...

Questionnaires are commonly used to measure attitudes toward systems and perceptions of search experiences. Whilst the face validity of such measures has been established through repeated use in information retrieval research, their reliability and wider validity are not typically examined; this threatens internal validity. The evaluation of self-r...

This panel focuses on experiential learning as a foundation of information science education. We critically examine the underlying philosophies, pedagogical attitudes, and specific teaching methods needed to foster a new generation of information science professionals. Spanning the pedagogical spectrum from theory to practice, we analyze how the in...

The nature of human-computer interactions has dramatically changed over the past several decades. In the 1980s the dominant interaction paradigm was of a solitary individual sitting in front of one workstation, most probably in an office, manipulating the interface through a keyboard and mouse. Fast forward to the 21st century where human-computer...

Physiological measures assess how the body functions. They may be simple, e.g., measuring body temperature with a thermometer, or more complicated, e.g., measuring heart function using an electrocardiograph [8]. Physiological measures of interest to us are those related to cognitive or affective states that can be captured by sensors, cameras, or s...

One way to measure user engagement is to ask people about their experiences. Self-reports, typically drawn from interviews, questionnaires, diaries, etc., garner users’ perceptions of digital media (was it useful? was the interface attractive? was it intuitive to navigate?), but also users’ perceptions of how they felt or what they thought during o...

Measurements of user engagement using web analytics refer to the extraction of parameters thought to affect user engagement, from the digital traces left by users while interacting with a website, often referred to as website logs.

This chapter summarizes the methods and measures presented in this book, discusses future research directions, and concludes with our main “take-away” messages.

This chapter looks at measuring user engagement in more complex scenarios, acknowledging the ubiquitous computing environment.

Previous chapters reported on the use of self-report, analytic, and physiological methods, and highlighted the benefits and drawbacks of each approach for measuring user engagement. We also discussed emerging work in the areas of multitasking, mobile use, and networked engagement that are challenging us to move beyond the single task, single websit...

User engagement refers to the quality of the user experience that emphasizes the positive aspects of interacting with an online application and, in particular, the desire to use that application longer and repeatedly. User engagement is a key concept in the design of online applications (whether for desktop, tablet or mobile), motivated by the obse...

Introduction. We investigated how online news consumers select content in an explicitly social scenario using uses and gratification theory (UGT). Method. Participants (n=30) browsed an online news Website and selected three items. In a post-task interview, participants rated articles on interest, intellectual curiosity, and likelihood to share, an...

Proceedings of the CAIS/ACSI 2013 conference.

Information interaction with mobile devices is becoming increasingly common, and is often an everyday method of information search for many users. This research will investigate the system, user, and contextual variables that predict user engagement with mobile search and examine the general engagement model in the more specific mobile context.L'in...

This paper reports on the social context of mobile information behavior based on an interview and diary study (n=19). We examine different types of mobile information behavior and how these are affected by social variables. In addition, we compare social and non-social mobile information behavior in terms of where it occurs, applications utilized,...

This research explores the qualitative researchers’ perceptions of computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) through content analysis of blogs. The purpose of this exploratory work is to understand the existing relationships that scholars have with CAQDAS, and how the use of these tools promotes or hinders engagement during the...

This paper presents a modal model to describe and facilitate communication design in collaborative settings. This model was conceived of as a tool for understanding the nature of collaboration between artists and scientists in an interdisciplinary case study, but can be used cross-disciplinarily and ultimately prescriptively. The model may reveal s...

The user experience is an integral component of interactive information retrieval (IIR). However, there is a twofold problem in its measurement. Firstly, while many IIR studies have relied on a single dimension of user feedback, that of satisfaction, experience is a much more complex concept. IIR in general, and exploratory search more specifically...

When it comes to evaluating online information experiences, what metrics matter? We conducted a study in which 30 people browsed and selected content within an online news website. Data collected included psychometric scales (User Engagement, Cognitive Absorption, System Usability Scales), self-reported interest in news content, and performance met...

Within and beyond Library and Information Science (LIS), researchers are employing participatory, arts-based research as one way of extending traditional research methods. The use of creative methods can enrich our understanding of complex information practices, particularly in multimedia information environments. This panel will provide an overvie...

Empirical studies of obliteration by incorporation (OBI) may be conducted at the level of the database record or the fulltext citation-in-context. To assess the difference between the two approaches, 1,040 articles with a variant of the phrase ...

This study focuses on students' and professors' use of three types of reading devices in their academic studies: smart phones, tablets, and dedicated e-readers. We explored the benefits and shortcomings of these devices through informal interviews with people who own and use these devices for academic purposes. Although participants' annotation and...

Information behaviour has evolved to focus on the dynamic human information interactions (HII) between systems and users, to develop models that encompass user behaviour, cognition and affect, and to understand the ways in which context and tasks motivate information needs and shape information seeking and use. In recent years, user experience (UX)...

In this poster we explore information design and serious leisure in the context of individuals who develop information databases for online gaming. We conclude that information design extends and intensifies the "serious" values of gaming.

This poster illustrates our experience using Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to conduct qualitative interviews with web developers. E-interviews with our sample did not suffer from methodological limitations identified in other studies due to the participants' familiarity and proficiency with this form of communication.

In this paper we explore the design of a museum system developed to increase accessibility to and interaction with a museum collection. We conducted a case study in which we interviewed participants involved in the design project, and reviewed documentation that spanned a decade of planning, building, and implementation. The goal of this research i...

This paper describes a qualitative study of online news reading and browsing. Thirty people participated in a quasi-experimental study in which they were asked to browse a news website and select three stories to discuss at a social gathering. Semi-structured interviews were conducted post-task to understand participants' perceptions of what makes...

Innovations in Information Retrieval - edited by Allen Foster December 2013

This panel addresses how to evaluate information interactions in evolving information landscapes. Using a common scenario, panelists each provide their own take on the user experience and its measurement, building a multifaceted view of information landscapes and their measurement.

Information behaviour has evolved to focus on the dynamic human information interactions (HII) between systems and users, to develop models that encompass user behaviour, cognition and affect, and to understand the ways in which context and tasks motivate information needs and shape information seeking and use. In recent years, user experience (UX)...

User experience seeks to promote rich, engaging interactions between users and systems. In order for this experience to unfold, the user must be motivated to initiate an interaction with the technology. This study explored hedonic and utilitarian motivations in the context of user engagement with online shopping. Factor analysis was performed to id...

This paper examines the validity of the User Engagement Scale (UES). Originally developed and tested in e-shopping, the scale was administered to users of a multimedia webcast system in an experimental setting. Factor analysis examined the structure and loadings of 31 items. As in previous research, a six-factor solution was found. However, the num...

Facilitating engaging user experiences is essential in the design of interactive systems. To accomplish this, it is necessary to understand the composition of this construct and how to evaluate it. Building on previous work that posited a theory of engagement and identified a core set of attributes that operationalized this construct, we constructe...

This paper examines the validity of the User Engagement Scale (UES). Originally developed and tested in e-shopping, the scale was administered to users of a multimedia webcast system in an experimental setting. Factor analysis examined the structure and loadings of 31 items. As in previous research, a six-factor solution was found. However, the num...

Increased emphasis on user experiences with technology demonstrates that systems must be not only usable, but engaging. Engagement, defined as a quality of user experience, is a multidimensional construct characterized by aesthetic appeal, novelty, perceived challenge, feedback and control, attention, motivation, and affect. To measure engagement,...

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The purpose of this research is to examine how search differs according to selected task variables. Three types of task information goals and two types of task structures were explored. This mixed within- and between-subjects designed study had 96 participants complete three of 12 tasks in a laboratory setting using a specialized search system base...

The purpose of this article is to critically deconstruct the term engagement as it applies to peoples' experiences with technology. Through an extensive, critical multidisciplinary literature review and exploratory study of users of Web searching, online shopping, Webcasting, and gaming applications, we conceptually and operationally defined engage...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the needs of humanists with respect to information and communication technology (ICT) in order to prescribe the design of an e‐humanist's workbench. Design/methodology/approach A web‐based survey comprising over 60 questions gathered the following data from 169 humanists: profile of the humanist,...

This study proposes a new methodology that allows for the generation of scientograms of major scientific domains, constructed on the basis of cocitation of Institute of Scientific Information categories, and pruned using PathfinderNetwork, with a layout ...

Recently there has been an increased emphasis on holistic user experiences in human-computer interactions. Interface design is moving beyond usability, aiming to be aesthetically pleasing, emotionally appealing, and engaging. The term engagement is frequently mentioned in the literature as a goal of interface design, yet the construct remains abstr...

Engagement is a dynamic process that characterizes the two-way interaction between user and system. We propose a model for understanding the cognitive, behavioural, and affective variables of users, as well as the characteristics of computer applications, that contribute to engaging user experiences. Poster

Research has focused on the effectiveness of library instruction and assessment, yet little is known about how information-seeking characteristics of today’s undergraduate students impact information literacy efforts. The current study sought to gain an understanding of students’ information-seeking habits and preferences. By conducting focus group...

Discussion of relevance has permeated the information science literature for the past 50+ years, and yet we are no closer to resolution of the matter. In this research we developed a set of measures to operationalize the dimensions underpinning Saracevic’s manifestations of relevance. We used an existing data set collected from 48 participants who...

Discussion of relevance has permeated the information science literature for the past 50+ years, and yet we are no closer to resolution of the matter. In this research we developed a set of measures to operationalize the dimensions underpinning Saracevic's manifestations of relevance. We used an existing data set collected from 48 participants who...

In this paper, we explore the characteristics of workplace situation and their impact on the search process, with an emphasis on disruptions and interruptions in the workplace.