A qualitative analysis of the effects of task complexity on the functional role of information

Abstract

An important question in interactive information retrieval (IIR) is: How do task characteristics influence users' needs? In this paper, we investigate the effects of cognitive task complexity on the types of information considered useful for a task. We characterize information types from two perspectives. From one perspective, we classify task-related information items based on inherent characteristics (referred to as info-types): factual statements, concepts/definitions, opinionated statements, and insights - -tips/advice related to the task domain. From a second perspective, we used Byströ m and J\"a rvelin's framework∼\citebystrom1995 to define information types based on how the information might be used to complete the task (referred to as functional roles): (1) to help the task doer understand the task requirements (problem information); (2) to help the task doer strategize on how to approach the task (problem-solving information); and (3) to help the task doer learn about the task domain (domain information). Our results suggest that: (1) cognitive task complexity influences the functional roles of information items deemed useful for the task (RQ1); (2) certain info-types are more (or less) likely to play certain functional roles (RQ2); and task complexity influences the variety of functional roles played by info-types (RQ3).