[Sigia-l] Applying Information Foraging Models

[Victor Lombardi]

RE>> It appears to me 'reference' is exactly what
> 'Information foraging'
> methodology is all about, but, I would appreciate
> anyone's input on
> this.

I agree that 'reference' is what we *want* information
foraging to be about, as the result of such studies
would help us create information architectures.
However, I believe information foraging is actually
about human behavior more than interface design. It
may seem like two sides of the same coin, but we're
asking. "How can we better represent artifacts to help
people find the artifact?" whereas the information
foraging researchers are asking, "Given what
representations exist, how do people go about finding
the artifacts?" Their answers come in the form of
assertions about people rather than assertions about
representations.

We see this in the Objective of the NNGroup Tutorial: 
"How do your users forage for information on your
website? within your industry or discipline? We will
share new techniques for testing and analyzing
information foraging among particular populations. How
do humans seek information generally? What behaviors
do they exhibit? What difference does their behavior
make for your project? Stuart and Peter will show you
the results of their own research and help you learn
to perform your own analyses."

RE>> Anyway, there is a great deal of Wisdom here to
> discover and talk about
> with regards to how we, as Information
> Professionals, approach our work,

Agreed, but I think we still need someone to reverse
engineer the Information Foraging findings about
foraging behavior to answer the question, "Given how
people interact with representations and find
artifacts, how can we better create representations?"

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> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. Re: Applying Information Foraging Models
> (Derek R)
>    2. Re: Remote Cardsorting (donna at maadmob.net)
> 
> --__--__--
> 
> Message: 1
> From: "Derek R" <derekr at derekrogerson.com>
> To: "Sigia-l" <sigia-l at asis.org>
> Subject: Re: [Sigia-l] Applying Information Foraging
> Models
> Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2003 18:45:24 -0700
> 
> 	 
> Maybe it would stir some discussion if I simplify
> things:
> 
> To present:
> http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=present
> 
> - To offer for observation, examination, or
> consideration; show or
> display
> - Existing or happening now; current
> - To introduce; to bring before the public
> 
> 
> To refer:
> http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=refer
> 
> - To assign to or regard as belonging within a
> particular kind or class
> - To direct to a source for help or information
> (delay)
> - To submit to an authority
> 
> 
> I would like to address the difference between the
> two above
> 'interaction design' approaches, (in light of
> Jakob's assertion of
> 'Information foraging' as "the most important
> concept to emerge from
> Human-Computer Interaction research since 1993") and
> talk.
> 
> Maybe the best place to start would be to ask if
> reference, (as opposed
> to presentation), is really what 'information
> foraging science' is all
> about ?
> 
> It appears to me 'reference' is exactly what
> 'Information foraging'
> methodology is all about, but, I would appreciate
> anyone's input on
> this.
> 
>  
> To illustrate I would suggest, for instance, that a
> P2P network is a
> good example of a 'presentation' methodology in that
> content is made
> available in real-time, and made available
> holistically.*
> 
> *I say 'holistically' in that the user is not forced
> to submit to any
> authorities/orders to 'get at' the content. The
> content is offered
> *all-at-once* (like a search/command-line
> interface).
> 
> On the other hand, a good example of a 'reference'
> methodology might be
> your typical Web site which has categories,
> hyper-links to other pages,
> hierarchies, etc... all of which demand users submit
> to their authority
> in order to make 'use' possible (i.e. things are
> 'referenced' in a
> particular way, through particular paths, which one
> can take the time to
> navigate).
> 
> 
> Now, not to be over-zealous or inattentive,
> obviously 'reference' offers
> much needed guidance in order to 'make sense' or
> give meaning to
> otherwise unordered content.
> 
> *However* -- and this key to understanding -- should
> this mechanism,
> which 'gives order' and provides a 'reference' for
> the user, be
> INGRAINED in the content without separation ?
> 
> (i.e. With the instance of our above categories and
> hierarchies, these
> 'orders' can be separated from the content through a
> 'search mechanism'
> IF, and only if, someone hasn't monkeyed the search
> results through the
> same or yet another set of hierarchies or
> 'categories of use'. ~ At what
> point are things allowed to be themselves ~ a flower
> just a flower ?)
> 
> In short, there is a danger with 'reference' that
> the MEDIUM BECOMES THE
> MESSAGE -- which is to say, so much bureaucracy
> breeds nothing but more
> bureaucracy (Gilliam's movie 'Brazil') -- something
> William Burroughs
> caught onto right away which prompted him to declare
> "Language is a
> virus."
> 
> Presentation as a medium, however, remains nothing
> but what is aimed at,
> being contemporaneous.
> 
> 
> Anyway, there is a great deal of Wisdom here to
> discover and talk about
> with regards to how we, as Information
> Professionals, approach our work,
> especially in light of recent hyperbolic statements
> coming from industry
> leaders like Nielsen.

=====
Victor Lombardi
http://www.noisebetweenstations.com

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