Following experts at work in their own information spaces: Using observational methods to develop tools for the digital library

Abstract

Digital libraries allow information access to be integrated into work processes rather than separated from them, but also have the potential to overwhelm users with excessive or irrelevant information, impairing their performance rather than improving it. With the opportunity to create new models of what a library is and how it can be used comes the challenge of improving our understanding of its patrons, their work, and the circumstances under which they perform it. In this article we offer an overview of our experiences using observational methods to learn about one class of users, expert clinicians treating patients in hospital settings. We describe the evolution of our understanding of the users and their informational tasks, and how this evolving understanding is guiding our efforts to create digital library technology. The multidisciplinary composition of our team has enriched our observations and improved the validity of our analysis and interpretations. The multiple observation methods we have employed, including "thinkaloud" scenarios in the laboratory, participant observation in the field, key informant interviews, and focus group sessions, have enabled us to enrich the data set, gain greater insight, and verify findings with informants. The relatively tight cycle of observation, analysis, development, and repeat observation has enabled us to iteratively and more rapidly refine our "user model" and "task model," improving, we hope, the usefulness of the technologies we are developing.

Effective methods for studying information seeking and use

“…The work of Gorman, Lavelle, Delcambre, and Maier (2002) was conducted in several phases, with each phase focused on a different conceptualization of the way in which physicians use medical records. Their initial focus was on the ways in which physicians "familiarized" themselves with the content of a patient's medical record.…”

Semantic Components: A Model for Enhancing Retrieval of Domain- Specific Information

“…During a usability study of an experimental digital library system for forest management, the investigators observed that the forestry professionals exhibited a striking familiarity with the organization of long documents, rapidly homing in on sections of interest [16]. When physicians were tasked with a scenario of familiarizing themselves with the medical record of a patient for whom they were to assume responsibility, the physicians rapidly focused attention on the relevant portions of the relevant documents in the medical record, attending only to information that would influence the scenario [17].…”

“…17 We made a brief outline of each document to summarize its content and a created a preliminary list of the types of information present. We did not use a predetermined set of information types but, instead, iteratively defined and refined the types based on what we saw in the documents.…”

“…• a test or procedure (such as a laboratory test) 17 All the document were written in Danish. After a month of intensive language study, the author of this dissertation was able to translate the documents with the help of two Danish-English dictionaries, one general and one medical.…”

Using semantic components to search for domain-specific documents: An evaluation from the system perspective and the user perspective

“…During a usability study of an experimental digital library system for forest management, the investigators observed that the forestry professionals exhibited a striking familiarity with the organization of long documents, rapidly homing in on sections of interest [4]. When physicians were tasked with a scenario of familiarizing themselves with the medical record of a patient for whom they were to assume responsibility, the physicians rapidly focused attention on the relevant portions of the relevant documents in the medical record, attending only to information that would influence the scenario [5].…”