Information search by applying VDL-based iconic tags: an experimental study

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JD-08-2018-0127
Pages807-822
Date08 July 2019
Published date08 July 2019
AuthorXiaoyue Ma,Pengzhen Xue,Siya Zhang,Nada Matta,Chunxiu Qin,Jean-Pierre Cahier,Keqin Wang
Subject MatterLibrary & information science
Information search by applying
VDL-based iconic tags: an
experimental study
Xiaoyue Ma, Pengzhen Xue and Siya Zhang
Department of Information Management, School of Economics and Management,
Xidian University, Xian, China
Nada Matta
ICD/Tech-CICO Lab, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, Troyes, France
Chunxiu Qin
Department of Information Management, School of Economics and Management,
Xidian University, Xian, China
Jean-Pierre Cahier
Lab TechCICO/ICD, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, Troyes, France, and
Keqin Wang
School of Management, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, China
Abstract
Purpose Visual Distinctive Language (VDL)-based iconic tags are structured visual information
annotation. They explicate the content and organization of tagged information by graphical and symbolic
features in order to improve the vocabulary problems of textual tags. The purpose of this paper is to
investigate how these special icons help in tagged-based user information searching.
Design/methodology/approach A two-stage experiment was designed and conducted so as to follow
and quantify the searching process in specific searching target case and no specific searching target case
when using VDL-based iconic tags.
Findings The experimental results manifested that VDL-based iconic tags enhanced the role of tag in
information searching. They could make user better understand tag clusters, which, in turn, provide global
structure of involved topics. Also, VDL-based iconic tags helped user to find out searching target more
quickly with higher accuracy by taking advantages of visual representation of tag categories and symbolic
signification of tag content.
Originality/value This study is one of the first to verify how structured icons work in information
searching and how users graphical cognition impacts on tag-based information searching process. The
research findings are dedicated to the theory of VDL-based iconic tags, as well as to a new visualization
method for search user interface design.
Keywords Search user interfaces, Information searches, Comparative tests, Visual structure, Icon, Tag
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Search user interfaceemphasizes on how to provide visual access to information content and
structure (Sutcli ffe et al.,2000). Its attraction characteristic can guideusers information search
behavior and plays a navigation role in search process (Hearst, 2009). Social tags are one of
useful componentsfor search user interface design (Shiri, 2009). Tags signifythe summarized
information content, which is meaningful to information searching (Zhang et al., 2014).
By understanding the tags provided by experts or other users, target tagged information
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 75 No. 4, 2019
pp. 807-822
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-08-2018-0127
Received 9 August 2018
Revised 19 November 2018
Accepted 20 November 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0022-0418.htm
This researchis sponsored by the NationalNatural ScienceFoundation of China (71403201),The Ministry
of Education in China of Humanities and Social Sciences project (19YJA870009), Natural Science Basic
Research Planin Shaanxi Province of China (2017JM7003) and theFundamental Research Fundsfor the
Central Universities (RW180171).
807
VDL-based
iconic tags
or a group of texts with semantically related topicscould be more easily found. However, the
most common tag format, textual tags, may cause problems in tag-based information
searching. These problems result either from different choices of words (languages) or from
the diversity of usersinformation goals(Hendahewa and Shah, 2015). This increased variety
of vocabularies and languages causes the connections between textual tags and the
documents marked by these tags to become increasingly less distinctive, which could
influence information-searching effectiveness.
VDL-based iconic tags (VDL stands for Visual Distinctive Language) are well-structured
icons that solve the representation problems of textual tags (Ma and Cahier, 2014b). These
special tags apply symbols to signify tag content and use graphical codes to visualize
semantic structure of tags. Experimental results previously demonstrated that VDL-based
iconic tags have more information-tagging advantages compared with textual tags (Ma and
Cahier, 2014a) (Ma and Cahier, 2014b). However, as a critical criterion to evaluate a tagging
method, the way VDL-based iconic tags are used for information searching has not been
described in former studies. And it is exactly what we studied and presented in this paper.
More specifically, the goal of this research could be explained in two aspects. On one
hand, visualization in search user interface is an advanced topic for developing better search
interface designs (Sahib et al., 2015). As a common component in search user interfaces, tags
were created to improve information searching and to emphasize user-centered interactions
during the search process. However, most tag-based searching designs applied more textual
tags, where vocabulary and language problems often existed. These problems stopped
users from getting close to an accurate search target and decreased search effectiveness.
VDL-based iconic tag is a new tagging method to improve textual problems. They are
assumed to have not only traditional tag ability in information searching but also more
advantages when considering visual representation features. Therefore, a meaningful issue
in search user interface and information retrieval is the study of whether VDL-based iconic
tags change userstag-based information searching behaviors.
On the other hand, previous studies on VDL-based iconic tags investigated how to apply
them for information tagging. As a key point in the analysis of tagscharacteristics, the
function tags serve in information searching should also be studied (Morrison, 2008). In
addition, since one of the most important features of VDL-based iconic tags is strengthening
semantic relations within tags, whether visually identified tag structures could improve user
information searching behavior is as well deserved to be determined. Along with the
research findings in this study, the theory of VDL-based iconic tags could be enriched to
become more complete and thorough. If VDL-based iconic tags are proved improving
information searching process, these kinds of tags could be considered as a visualization
method for search user interface design.
For these reasons, we proposed a deeper study of VDL-based iconic tags focusing on user
information searching. The specificresearch questions guidingour investigationare as follows:
RQ1. How does users graphical cognition help in information searching?
RQ2. Does visual structure of tagged information have influence on information
searching behavior?
RQ3. Do VDL-based icons enhance the role of tags in information searching?
In the next section, we will first review the theoretical foundations for tag-based information
searching and VDL-based iconic tags. Then, a two-stage information-searching experiment will
be presented, including participants, materials and procedures. The experimental results and the
statistical analysis will be analyzed, followed by a discussion that explains the information
searching process and the novelty of previous studies on VDL-based iconic tags. Finally, we
conclude with the contribution of this study from the theoretical and practical perspectives.
808
JD
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