Quill: a narrative-based interface for personal document retrieval

ABSTRACT

The ways to manage and retrieve documents have changed little in recent years. Browsing is increasingly unpractical and search still is fairly simple, relying mostly on keywords. The wide range of autobiographic information that users remember about their documents cannot be used. We present a new interaction paradigm, narrative-based interfaces, especially well suited for document retrieval. Stories make remembering information easier since it appears contextualized in a coherent whole. We describe the Quill system, a narrative-based query-formulation interface for personal document retrieval, explaining the user studies and results that led to its design in a sound and effective way. Its evaluation confirms that stories can be told naturally, containing the desired information about documents.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: User-centered design

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
      H.3.3 Information Search and Retrieval
          Subjects: Query formulation

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
      I.3.6 Methodology and Techniques
          Subjects: Interaction techniques

Keywords:
document retrieval, narrative-based interfaces, personal information management