Dimensions of tasks: influences on information‐seeking and retrieving process

Abstract

Purpose-Previous research has demonstrated that task is the driving force for information retrieval (IR). However, few studies investigate how people engaged in work and search tasks define their decisions and behaviors in the IR process. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how dimensions of tasks affect the information-seeking and retrieving process. Design/methodology/approach-In total, 40 participants are recruited for the two studies conducted in a corporate setting as well as an academic setting. Multiple methods are applied to collect data related to participants' tasks and the information-seeking and retrieving process: web surveys, questionnaires, diaries, and telephone interviews. Both qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed. Findings-This paper identifies nature (routine, typical, and unusual), stages (pre-focus, formation, and post-focus), and timeframe (extremely urgent, urgent, and non-urgent) as dimensions of work tasks as well as origination (self-generated and assigned), types (updating information, looking for specific information, looking for items with common characteristics, and looking for known items), and flexibility (very flexible, flexible, and inflexible) as dimensions of search tasks. Moreover, the relationships between dimensions of work and search tasks and the information-seeking process-in particular, the extent of planning, the application of different types of information-seeking strategies, and shifts in search-task-related goals-are explored. Originality/value-This paper fills in a gap in current research-the impact of dimensions of task on the information-seeking and-retrieving process.

Behavioral changes in transmuting multisession successive searches over the web

“…The ISP framework identified the following six stages of the information search process: task initiation, topic selection, prefocus exploration, focus formulation, information collection, and search closure. ISP is one of the most influential theoretical frameworks on successive searches, affecting many subsequent works (e.g., Komlodi, ; Komlodi & Soergel, ; Liu & Belkin, ; Spink et al., 1998, ; Vakkari, ; Vakkari, Pennanen, & Serola, ; Xie, ). MISE identified eight different scenarios of successive searches that are differentiated based on the nature of the information problems prompting the search.…”

An exploration of the relationships between work tasks and users' interaction performance

“…Most previous studies on work task and information search behavior usually examine one or two characteristics of work tasks to explore how work tasks affect users' information‐seeking or search behavior, for example, Byström (1999, 2002) examined task complexity; Algon (1999) focused on interaction. Recently more and more researchers realized that it is necessary to examine different aspects or facets or dimensions of tasks all together when investigating the role of work tasks during the course of information search and retrieval, for example, Xie (2009) and Liu (2009). The present study provides empirical evidence to support this trend.…”

Medical Anthropology Online

“…Hence the proliferation, too, of articles about Internet search methods-a growing part of the methodological considerations of any academic (Fischer 2006;Nardi 2008). Again, this is a field dominated by people professionally concerned with information technology and management (Hochstotter and Koch 2009;Kim 2009;Xie 2009;Laxman 2010), but it is no less important to anthropologists or to others engaged in the tasks of knowledge creation and problematization.…”