Information Seeking as Explorative Learning

The paper starts with an overview of major problems hindering effective interactions with information retrieval systems. A brief review of models of the interaction taking place during information seeking is then provided with the aim of lying the ground for yet another model based on two levels of interaction: presentation and navigation. The former encompasses interactions with the user interface of the retrieval system, whereas the latter deals with the interaction that users experience with the information resource. It is claimed that this second level of interaction can be framed as an exploratory learning process and that its analysis provides adequate support for designing and evaluating information access systems.