Examining feedback in interactive video retrieval

Abstract

This paper presents a user-centred video retrieval, or video digital library, study that examines different types of feedback. Separate user interface features, including one that collects and one that presents feedback, shape the evaluation of this study. Research questions were posed to examine both types of feedback and to measure the influence of certain factors on each. The experimental factors examined here, in association with feedback, included user actions, topic characteristics, search duration, levels of user satisfaction and domain familiarity. Laboratory-style search experiments employing 28 users from the field of science education were conducted, which asked the users to attempt six pre-designed search topics. Actions of the users and topic durations were recorded, and users were given a post-search questionnaire about the topics and their experiences and impressions of the experimental system. Results showed that users regularly requested feedback about a clip, beyond a keyframe, while searching, not browsing, and that requests varied significantly across certain topic categories. Findings also indicated that users’ requests for feedback were more general interactions and not associated with a search topic’s representation of the domain. On the other hand, users rarely contributed feedback about the relative importance of visual vs semantic qualities of search results in order to reformulate queries, regardless of any other experimental factor.