published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Philosophy

Artificial Intelligence Lab, Department of MIS, University of Arizona / This paper describes the development and testing of the Medical Concept Mapper as an aid to providing synonyms and semantically related concepts to improve searching. All terms are related to the userquery and fit into the query context. The system is unique because its five components combine humancreated and computer-generated elements. The Arizona Noun Phraser extracts phrases from natural language user queries. WordNet and the UMLS Metathesaurus provide synonyms. The Arizona Concept Space generates conceptually related terms. Semantic relationships between queries and concepts are established using the UMLS Semantic Net. Two user studies conducted to evaluate the system are described.

This article looks at how the consumer of data, information and knowledge becomes increasingly important in relation to the design and development of electronic information products and services. In web based environment, where products are bought and sold, such services are increasingly being â tailoredâ to suit the individual and community they serve. However, current situation has meant that there is an increasing need to provide access to data, information and knowledge electronically. Reasons for this include the growing number of potential users who value and need information but cannot or may not want to be serviced face-to-face even when remote access to electronic resources has become prevalent. There is a need to create electronic environments that can relate to the complex cultural, sociological and psychological needs of the consumer. This paper provides an overview of current theories and knowledge about the information consumer. It is informed by the commoditization of information and communication tech-nologies (ICTs), products and services, the use and non-use of information in Library and In-formation Science (LIS) discipline, the need to create appropriate learning environments and lastly, the perception that all people should have equal access to such products and services and that society should be inclusive. Examples are also provided of how and where knowledge is applied, highlighting the importance of IB knowledge. The paper concludes that a deeper understanding is needs to be developed as current application of knowledge about the information consumer is rudimentary. There is a need to apply and test current knowledge.

The term â hypertextâ evokes many images (e.g., nodes and links, semantic webs, non-linear access and so forth) but perhaps one of the most common is that of users struggling to find their way around a complex information space. As a result, navigation has become a subject of great interest to many researchers in the field. In this chapter we will discuss navigation through hypertext in terms of its relevance as a concept as much as its presence as an issue and try to draw lessons for design and research from the psychological work that has been carried out on navigation in physical space. We will attempt to show that while relevant to hypertext, discussion of navigation is prone to difficulty when researchers and designers misapply arguments and evidence from the physical domain to the semantic domain.

In this practitioner-oriented overview of a pilot project at a medium-sized software company, we outline the early phases of an effort to implement a Social Bookmarking System (SBS) within an enterprise. In particular, we discuss some of the unexpected challenges encountered with regards to potential user adoption, and the design strategy we used to address those challenges. 1. Introduction: Findability in the enterprise intranet has become an increasing critical issue with the growth in size and complexity of corporate information environments. To date, much of the solution space has focused on approaches such as the construction of rich, domain specific taxonomies and the development of sophisticated full-text search algorithms [1]. These methods can be extremely expensive and require careful ongoing maintenance to succeed. While they have proved valuable, some organizations, are beginning to seek out new innovations [2]. Social Bookmarking Systems (SBS) are a class of collaborative applications that allow users to save, access, share and describe shortcuts to web resources. Initially conceived as personal information management tools, they were designed to function as centralized storage repositories to simplify the collection of bookmarks for users who browse the Internet with more than one machine in different locations. Later, systems such as the now archetypical del.icio.us [3] added two key features: 1) description of bookmarks with arbitrary free keywords (â taggingâ ), and 2) sharing of bookmarks and tags across users. We decided to undertake a small pilot project within our own enterprise to determine whether an SBS might aid in refindability, term extraction, and identification of communities of practice. Recent technology experiments such as IBMâ s Dogear [4] have suggested some promise for del.icio.us-style systems inside the corporate firewall. 2. Assessing User Readiness: One of the attractive features of social software is that they tend to be inexpensive to implement from a technical standpoint. However, because their success relies entirely on user participation, the organizational cost can be quite high. Therefore, instead of moving directly into implementation, we first conducted a user survey and series of interviews to both validate the deficiency in existing information retrieval mechanisms and gauge the receptivity to bookmarking as a possible solution. Rather than definitive data about user attitudes towards tagging, we found it difficult to elicit constructive feedback because most users â even those familiar with existing systems such as del.icio.us â did not fundamentally understand core social bookmarking concepts. 3. Communicating Concepts to Users: Based on our initial findings, we modified our project plan to focus efforts on user education. We employed a non-traditional design approach in which we identified the central features of an SBS, mapped those features to user activities, and then translated the activity scenarios into graphical comics. In architecting complex systems, comics can more effectively communicate concepts by abstracting away technical details such as the user interface. [5] 4. Future Work and Implications: This education strategy is incorporated into the roadmap for the future phases of the project that also includes milestones related to technical extensibility, data collection, and internal marketing to drive usage. We believe that the most critical aspect of implementing social classification within an enterprise context may be preparing users to both understand and embrace tagging as a conceptual framework.

This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. (2000) Designing a better learning environment with the Web: problems and prospects. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 3(1), 97-102. Abstract: In a recent review of the empirical findings on hypermedia and learning outcomes, Dillon and Gabbard (1998) concluded that contrary to many people's assumptions, the use of hypermedia-based instructional systems in education had not produced significant learning gains. Indeed, their review concluded that such instructional technologies rarely showed any benefit for learners over existing paper- or lecture-based instructions. While it is commonplace these days to dismiss as irrelevant any media comparison study, the Dillon and Gabbard review went further, also examining comparisons made between alternative hypermedia implementations (a within-media comparison) and between single and group learners employing this technology. Since hypermedia is the underlying technology of the World Wide Web, their findings made depressing reading for those of us who believe that this technology is important and could be put to powerful instructional use. The present issue contains papers from many leading theorists who advocate the use and exploitation of information technologies such as hypermedia and the World-Wide Web in our classrooms, and I am not completely in disagreement with them. However, I wish to question the very assumptions on which the use of the Web and standalone hypermedia applications are based. What I aim to provide in this paper is a sense of the gaps in our knowledge, and to speculate on why education is so poorly served by the wonderful technologies that are within our grasp.

The electronic engineering notebook is a pen-based computer tool designed to capture engineering notes and to assist in structuring them to facilitate subsequent information access. Experiments were conducted in which free-form and fixed-form note-taking interfaces were compared with respect to capturing and structuring notes from a design meeting. Suitability of domain-based and user-defined terminologies for semantic structuring was also tested. Results from the experiment confirmed that a free-form interface was easier to use for note-taking and structuring notes than were forms with fixed structure. However, difficulties with applying semantic categorizations were observed in both types of interface. The results indicated that terminology should be chosen appropriately to a task, and that experienced users have less problems with applying it. The experiment also demonstrated high diversity in note-taking styles, thus highlighting the need to accommodate individual preferences in electronic notebooks.

This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: McKnight, C., Dillon, A. and Richardson, J. (1992) Hypermedia. In A. Kent (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Vol. 50, New York: Marcel Dekker, 226-255. Overview: The field of hypertext/hypermedia has mushroomed so much in the last five years that an article such as this cannot hope to be all-embracing. Rather, what we will do is provide a perspective on hypertext/hypermedia while offering guidance to the published literature. The perspective we give is essentially user-centred since we believe that ultimately it is user issues which will determine the success or failure of any technology. We begin with a brief introduction and history then draw together some of the relevant research which has a bearing on hypertext/hypermedia usability. Some of this research has been conducted specifically in the field of hypertext but some general human-computer interaction research also needs to be considered. We look briefly at some of the issues involved in creating hypertexts and also at some of the claims made for hypertext. Finally, we attempt to see what the future holds for hypertext and offer a list of further reading.

This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. (1991) Readers' models of text structures. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 35, 913-925. Abstract: Hypertext is often described as a liberating technology, freeing readers and authors from the constraints of "linear" paper document formats. However there is little evidence to support such a claim and theoretical work in the text analysis domain suggests that readers form a mental representation of a paper document's structure that facilitates non-serial reading. The present paper examines this concept empirically for academic articles with a view to making recommendations for the design of a hypertext database. The results show that experienced journal readers do indeed possess such a generic representation and can use this to organise isolated pieces of text into a more meaningful whole.This representation holds for text presented on screens. Implications for hypertext document design are discussed.

This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. and Morris, M. (1998) From "can they?" to "will they?": extending usability evaluation to address acceptance. AIS Conference Paper, Baltimore, August 1998. Introduction: usability engineering: Within the human-computer interaction (HCI) community, there exists a long and rich research paradigm on "usability engineering (UE)." Within the usability engineering tradition, usability is operationally defined as the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specified users can perform particular tasks in a given environment (see e.g., Shackel 1991, Nielsen, 1993). Effectiveness answers: can users perform their tasks? Efficiency means: what resources do users expend to achieve a given outcome (e.g., time, effort)? Finally, satisfaction measures assess how well users like the application. From this perspective, usability is contextually defined in operational terms that designers can see as targets to meet, for example: "Users should be able to perform specified tasks with new tool after W minutes training, with X% effectiveness, at least Y% efficiency, and Z% greater satisfaction than with old interface" where W < infinity, and 0< [X, Y, Z] <100. The strengths of the usability engineering approach include: 1. The use of operationalised measures that are negotiated in context, 2. The direct coupling of usability to tasks the tool must support, 3. The capability of negotiated targets to fit into an iterative design process, and 4. The decoupling of the usability construct from interface features Each of these strengths gives the approach value to the software industry where design practices require targets to be met and where the success of a new tool is determined contextually rather than in any absolute manner. Thus, the usability engineering paradigm has enjoyed a wide range of support from industry. Nonetheless, there are associated weaknesses of this approach. Some of these weaknesses include: 1. Usability criteria are dynamic, not fixed, 2. Usability is thus contextually determined so what works in one context may not work in another and design practices must continually ground themselves in work practices 3. Determining usability criteria requires considerable analytic skill, 4. Generalization beyond context is difficult, 5. Criteria do not determine re-design advice While the approach advocated by usability engineers of deriving appropriate targets for design and testing to meet is useful, it is clear that usability does not fully determine actual system use (see Dillon and Morris 1996). Thus, it is possible that designers may produce a well engineered artifact that meets set criteria, but still fails to gain the acceptance of discretionary users. In other words, usability is a necessary but insufficient determinant of use.