EXPLORING THE STAGES OF INFORMATION SEEKING IN A CROSS-MODAL CONTEXT

Authors

  • Dena Ahmed Althani School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science Queen Mary University of London
  • Tony Stockman School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science Queen Mary University of London
  • Anastasios Tombros School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science Queen Mary University of London

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v6i1.107

Keywords:

Collaborative information seeking, cross-modal interaction, information seeking process, accessibility, web search

Abstract

Previous studies of users with visual impairments access to the web have focused on human-web interaction. This study explores the under investigated area of cross-modal collaborative information seeking (CCIS), that is, the challenges and opportunities that exist in supporting visually impaired (VI) users to take an effective part in collaborative web search tasks with sighted peers. We conducted an observational study to investigate the process with fourteen pairs of VI and sighted users in co-located and distributed settings. The study examined the effects of cross-modal collaborative interaction on the stages of the individual Information Seeking (IS) process. The findings showed that the different stages of the process were performed individually most of the time; however it was observed that some collaboration took place in the results exploration and management stages. The accessibility challenges faced by VI users affected their individual and collaborative interaction and also enforced certain points of collaboration. The paper concludes with some recommendations towards improving the accessibility of cross-modal collaborative search.

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Published

2016-05-31

How to Cite

Althani, D. A., Stockman, T., & Tombros, A. (2016). EXPLORING THE STAGES OF INFORMATION SEEKING IN A CROSS-MODAL CONTEXT. Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 6(1), 49–80. https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v6i1.107

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2016): Journal of Accessibility and Design for All

Section

Engineering

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