The oncoming tidal wave of Big Data, with its rapidly evolving ecosystem of multi-channel information saturated environments and services, brings profound challenges and opportunities for the design of effective user experiences that UX practitioners are just beginning to engage with in a meaningful fashion.
Looking deeper than the celebratory rhetoric of information quantity, at its core, Big Data makes possible unprecedented awareness and insight into every sphere of life; from business and politics, to the environment, arts and society. In this coming Age of Insight, 'discovery' is not only the purview of specialized Data Scientists who create exotic visualizations of massive data sets, it is a fundamental category of human activity that is essential to everyday interactions between people, resources, and environments.
To provide architects and designers with an effective starting point for creating satisfying and relevant user experiences that rely on discovery interactions, this session presents a simple analytical and generative toolkit for understanding how people conduct the broad range of discovery activities necessary in the information-permeated world.
Specifically, this session will present:
• A simple, research-derived language for describing discovery needs and activities that spans domains, environments, media, and personas
• Observed and reusable patterns of discovery activities in individual and collaborative settings
• Examples of the architecture of successful discovery experiences at small and large scales
• A vocabulary and perspective for discovery as a critical individual and organizational capability
• Leading edge examples from the rapidly emerging space of applied discovery
• Design futures and concepts exploring the possible evolution paths of discovery interactions
9. Insight
Grasping or understanding meaning,
significance, and/or a solution.
A valuable change in perspective or understanding
that enables or guides further action.
11. “In the next ten
years, digital data
alone is expected
to grow 44 times.
By 2020, there
will be 4 billion
people online
creating 50
trillion gigabytes
of data.”
HP Intelligent Research
12.
13. Volume: yotta, yotta, yotta
Varied data ‘materials’
social, cultural, personal, environmental, economic, scientific
Full spectrum of granularity
Real-time & historical perspectives
Commoditized infrastructure
storage, processing, distribution, publishing
Data ecosystem(s)
27. ‘Cliodynamics’ is a
transdisciplinary area of
research integrating
historical macrosociology,
economic history/
cliometrics, mathematical
modeling of long-term
social processes, and the
construction and analysis of
historical databases.
scientific disciplines
28. “The instability of large,
complex societies is a
predictable phenomenon,
according to a new
mathematical model that
explores the emergence of
early human societies via
warfare.”
“Capturing hundreds of years of human history, the model reveals
the dynamical nature of societies, which can be difficult to uncover
in archaeological data.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110119151816.htm
29. “What we found are the
constants that describe
every city,” he says.
I don’t know anything
about this city or even
where it is or its history, but
I can tell you all about it.
And the reason I can do that
is because every city is
really the same.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/magazine/19Urban_West-t.html
32. “The ability to take data - to be able to understand it, to
process it, to extract value from it, to visualize it, to
communicate it's going to be a hugely important skill in the
next decades, not only at the professional level but even at the educational level for
elementary school kids, for high school kids, for college kids. Because now we
really do have essentially free and ubiquitous data. So the
complimentary scarce factor is the ability to understand
that data and extract value from it.”
Hal Varian
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Hal_Varian_on_how_the_Web_challenges_managers_2286
39. “The datasexual looks a lot like
you and me, but what’s different is
their preoccupation with personal
data.
They are relentlessly digital, they
obsessively record everything
about their personal lives, and
they think that data is sexy. In
fact, the bigger the data, the sexier
it becomes.
Their lives - from a data
data as lifestyle
perspective, at least - are perfectly
groomed.”
40. Discovery is the leading
emerging interaction category
of the Age of Insight
42. As I was waiting for a table at a
local restaurant the other day, I
flipped through a couple of the
free classified papers.
I was shocked to realize how
dependent I’ve grown on
three simple features that just
aren’t available in the analog
world: search, sort and filter.
http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/10/ui-patterns-for-mobile-apps-search-sort-filter/
50. The Language of Discovery:
A concrete descriptive language for
human discovery activity in diverse
contexts.
A simple and consistent vocabulary that
is independent of domain, role,
information type, etc.
51. Leverages what is common
in human discovery.
Allows for what varies in
contexts of discovery
60. Call Centers & Maintenance Data Quality &
Knowledge Repair & Governance
Mgmt Overhaul
Claims Analysis Enterprise Search
Digital Asset & Knowledge Mgmt
Mgmt
Warranty
Analysis Field Service Operations
Financial
Analysis & Planning
Analysis
Service Measure
Customer Human Capital
Risk Analysis
Support & Plan & Management
Maintain Operate
Market Research Program & Portfolio
Pricing Sell & Develop & Mgmt
Analysis
Deliver Produce
Manufacturing
& Quality Inventory &
Inventory &
Demand Visibility
Sales & Delivery
Customer Part, Commodity
Analysis Product & Supplier
Information Analysis
Market Spend
Mgmt
Intelligence
diverse contexts Analysis
61. User Scenarios
“Understand the quality performance of a part and module set in
manufacturing and the field so that I can determine if I should replace
that part.”
- Engineering
“Understand a lead's underlying positions so that I can assess the
quality of the investment opportunity.”
“Understand a portfolio's exposures to assess portfolio-level
investment mix.”
- Portfolio Manager
“I need to understand the cost drivers for this commodity so I can
negotiate better terms with my suppliers and forecast business risk
based on market indices.”
- Procurement
63. Literary Modes
“a broad, but identifiable literary method, mood, or
manner, that is not tied exclusively to a particular
form or genre.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(literature)
64. Argumentation
The purpose of argumentation (also called persuasive writing) is to prove the validity
of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and
argument that thoroughly convince the reader.
65. Discovery Modes
“a broad, but identifiable discovery activity that is
not tied exclusively to a particular context or
domain.”
67. Identifying Modes
“Understand the quality performance of a part and module set in manufacturing
and the field so that I can determine if I should replace that part.”
- Engineering
“Understand a lead's underlying positions so that I can assess the quality of the
investment opportunity.”
“Understand a portfolio's exposures to assess portfolio-level investment mix.”
- Portfolio Manager
“I need to understand the cost drivers for this commodity so I can negotiate better
terms with my suppliers and forecast business risk based on market indices.”
- Procurement
68. Comprehending
‘To generate insight by understanding the nature or
meaning of an item or data set’
e.g. “I need to analyze and understand consumer-customer-market trends to inform
brand strategy & communications plan” – Director, Brand Image
69. Identifying Modes
“I need visibility into the parts my colleagues are using globally in order to find the
best part possible for my assembly.”
- Engineering
“I need to identify customers/marketers/dealers failing & at risk of de-branding
based on performance problems.”
- Account Rep
“I need to identify problem/success areas and where to intervene and reward.”
- SVP Sales
“I need to identify the best customer/consumer/region targets for our brand/
products.”
- Brand Manager
70. Exploring
‘To proactively investigate or examine an item or data set
for the purpose of serendipitous knowledge discovery’
e.g. “I need to identify the cost drivers for this commodity so I can negotiate better
terms with my suppliers and forecast business risk based on market indices”
– Procurement
77. When I use the tool, I can...
Monitor
...currently popular colors over useful
intervals
Explore
...currently popular colors, or colors
popular in the past
Verify
That a color is popular now or in the
past
78.
79. As a reader, I can...
Monitor
...articles to see what is new and
available.
Explore
...available articles and topics to
identify those of interest to me.
Locate
... and read articles of interest,
supporting information, and
related materials.
80. My twitter home page allows me to...
Monitor
...the tweets of people I follow, my
followers, community interactions.
Explore
...trends and active topics, and
suggestions for people to follow.
Locate
..tweets, people, hashtags / topics
Synthesize
...new tweets via composition,
retweet, or favorite tweets.
81. The profile snapshot lets me...
Evaluate
...the author of a tweet to decide if I
am interested in them
Locate
...the profile and homepage of the
author of a tweet
82. A twitter profile page lets me...
Explore
...the authors profile to learn more
about them
Evaluate
...their activity, followers, tweets,
relevance to me
Comprehend
...the author’s interests, point of view,
88. Comparative Search
1. Replace a problematic part
Analyze
(from sourcing, cost or technical
perspective)
2. ...with an equivalent or better
part Compare
3. ...without compromising quality
Evaluate
and cost.
89. Comparative Search
1. Analyze
Analyze
2. and understand gaps between
current cost of commodity
Compare
3. versus best in class
manufacturing costs. Evaluate
91. Comparative Search
Analyze Compare Evaluate
Identify parts used for same function as candidates for commonization and complexity reduction - Core Engineer
Replace a problematic part (from sourcing, cost or technical perspective) with an equivalent or better part without
compromising quality and cost. - Engineering
Compare our module set teardowns with competitive teardown information to see if we’re staying competitive for cost,
quality and functionality. - Engineering
Compare a lead's performance claims with relevant benchmarks to assess the lead's claims - Portfolio Manager
See the difference between what we are spending and what we should be spending to maximize savings (between
actual PO and should costs). - Procurement
Analyze & understand gaps between current costs of commodity versus best in class manufacturing costs - Cost
Estimators
92. Exploratory Search
Explore Analyze Evaluate
Identify opportunities to optimize use of tooling capacity for my commodity/parts - Core Engineer
Identify sales opportunities and targets (increased key customer market share across categories/brands; upsell-cross
sell; promotional targets - District Manager
Evaluate & optimize our product portfolio: Which products should we de-list and retire? What new products should we
be making/selling? - Category Manager
Identify the best customer/consumer/region targets for our brand/products - Brand Manager
Determine suppliers to use for parts in my program and execute sourcing agreements - Core Buyer
Identify customers/marketers/dealers failing & at risk of de-branding based on performance problems - Program
Administrator
93. Strategic Oversight
Monitor Analyze Evaluate
Monitor how well we are tracking to revenue and margin targets by division - SVP Sales
Monitor and grade incoming incidents; close incidents, add incident close codes - Supervisor/Inspector
Monitor global commodity use in relation to plan/guidelines to identify gaps that require corrective action - Core
Engineer
Monitor how well we are tracking to revenue and margin targets by division - District Manager
Monitor & evaluate how our brand is performing in re: revenue, margin, and market share targets - Brand Manager
Financial Analyst: Monitor & assess commodity status against strategy/plan/target
94. Strategic Insight
Analyze Comprehend Evaluate
Track module cost versus functionality over time to determine trends. - Engineering
Understand the quality performance of a part and module set in manufacturing and the field so that I can determine if I
should replace that part. - Engineering
Understand a lead's underlying positions so that I can assess the quality of the investment opportunity - Portfolio
Manager
Understand a portfolio's exposures to assess portfolio-level investment mix - Portfolio Manager
I need to understand the cost drivers for this commodity so I can negotiate better terms with my suppliers and forecast
business risk based on market indices. - Procurement
95. Comparative Synthesis
Analyze Compare Synthesize
Analyze and understand consumer-customer-market trends to inform brand strategy & communications plan -
Director, Brand Image
Find out how many parts I have in my module set of parts and find ways to reduce cost across them - Engineering
Formulate scope & strategy for sourcing and gap closure - Core Buyer
Analyze and understand a market: marketer network, competitive position, customer sat, & share, etc. to inform brand
strategy and communications plan - Brand Image Analyst
98. As a user, I can...
Analyze 1. Analyze the popularity
and importance of colors
over time to see patterns
2. Compare colors in terms
Compare
of importance and
popularity at various
cycles, trends, and
moments.
3. Evaluate colors vs. their
Evaluate
current and historic
importance and popularity.
Comparative Search ...of colors I may use for my purposes
99. As a reader, I can...
Analyze 1. Analyze events and
topics using the data and
tools provided
Comprehend 2. Understand the events
and topics using the
Guardian’s perspective
and my own.
Evaluate 3. Evaluate all perspectives,
as well as the actions and
decisions based on them.
Strategic Insight into events & actions of government & society
100. As a reader, I get...
Analyze 1. Analysis of the causes,
participants and events of
the UK riots
2. Comparison of
Compare
suggested causes,
insights and explanations
into the events.
Synthesize 3. Synthesis of these
insights into a coordinated
perspective on the riots
Comparative synthesis of all insights into the causes of the UK riots
101. Twitter Profile viewers can...
Explore 1. Explore the author’s
profile, activity and
community interactions.
2. Analyze the author’s
Analyze followers, activity, tweets,
community interaction,
who they follow.
Evaluate 3. Evaluate the author to
decide their relevance and
value.
Exploratory search ... for valuable people streams to follow
102. MICRO view - visual art
data: 25 canonical paintings representing
transition from realism to modernism,
1849-1916
116. To inform the core principles for the user
experience of the product
To coordinate the design of product
features and functions across channels
and form-factors
product
To evaluate the quality and success of
strategy, product designs, in terms of usability,
engagement, value, etc.
definition
To establish a roadmap for the product's
& design evolution and determine development
efforts
To shape strategy for a portfolio of
products by understanding the value
proposition of current and potential new
products
117. To guide the deployment of the product
as part of a solution for customers
solution identifying needs via scenarios and
other solution specification tools
design for crafting functional requirements
and interaction designs for
product deployed applications
To describe and publish patterns and
customers best practices in implementation of the
product - workspace, application,
application suite
120. Personas, Scenarios, Goals
•
Create and update accurate forecasts on a weekly basis at a
very detailed level, such as the number of packs of each
product SKU needed for a single store. Forecasts evolve
Planner / Analyst through several iterations before reaching their final state,
allowing and requiring Planners to incorporate data on sales,
inventory, customer activity, etc. as it accumulates in real time.
•
Improve the accuracy of forecasts and forecasting methods by
understanding the nature, degree, and source of forecasting
errors in reference to a large number of defined metrics and
performance measures.
•
Analyze and understand changes in the factors affecting
forecast accuracy, and enhance forecasting methods to reflect
these changes.
121. Personas, Scenarios, Goals
•
Monitor and review the accuracy of Planners’ forecasts to
assess individual and team performance
•
Determine the specific metrics and performance
Planning Manager
measurements that Planning teams use for reference,
based on the long-term goals of the organization.
•
Evaluate and improve the effectiveness of forecasting
practices and tools used by planning teams
•
Achieve 100% forecast accuracy
•
Maintain forecast accuracy over time, and in all situations.
Planning Team
122. Planners: Mode Chains
Planners needing to create new forecasts will:
Analyze their previous forecasts and newly identified causal Analyze
factors
Compare them to accuracy baselines and the expected Compare
impact of correlating factors such as seasonal events or
weather
Create new forecasts that reflect insights from analytical
Synthesize
activities
Comparative synthesis
123. Planners: Mode Chains
Planners working to improve forecasting accuracy will:
Analyze cumulative and historical accuracy and error rates to
Analyze
Understand the factors affecting those forecasts Comprehend
Evaluate the relevance and usefulness of newly identified Evaluate
causal factors by retrospectively including them in previous
forecasts
Strategic Insight
124. Planning Managers: Mode Chains
When assessing the performance of Planners, Managers will:
Monitor the accuracy of forecasts made by individual analysts Monitor
and the team
Analyze forecasts for patterns and trends in variance and Analyze
accuracy
Evaluate the effectiveness of analysts, and forecasting Evaluate
methods.
Strategic Insight
126. Dashboard Screen
Individual Planners use the Dashboard to
Monitor the accuracy of their own forecasts
compared with established baselines and
targets. Planning Managers use the Dashboard
screen to Monitor the accuracy of all the
forecasts made by the Planning team.
One pane enables monitoring of each major
area of supply chain activity, such as Inventory
or Capacity, providing summaries of the status
of processes via KPIs and measurements using
a component from our library, as well as a chart
presenting historical values of these measures
for Analysis via visualization component.
A list of alerts provides a guide to notable
changes across the supply chain, allowing
Planners and Managers to monitor, analyze,
and evaluate notable events and changes as
part of a steady flow of information. Planner / Analyst Planning Manager
The Dashboard enables Planners and
Managers to execute the Strategic Insight Strategic Oversight
chain by following the linked data points in
charts, metrics and alerts ‘deeper’ into the
Monitor Analyze Evaluate
information for analysis.
127. Analysis Screen
Each Analysis screen in the template is focused on one
sub-function of the supply chain. This Analysis screen
focuses on the forecasts and activity for ‘restocking’ of
products in retail settings and various stages of the supply
chain.
On the left side, the Search, Breadcrumb, and Faceted
Navigation components allow the user to manage the data
that is presented in the tables, charts, and lists to the right,
by exploring the underlying information space. They also
communicate this context to users to keep them oriented.
At the top of the screen there is a ‘metric summary’, which
follows on from the performance indicators identified on
the Dashboard, providing visibility into the smaller scale
measures that determine the status of the supply chain;
specifically, the accuracy of forecasts.
Below the summary, a group of components presents a
visualization and data grid of a single metric grouped by
one or more variables (e.g. quantity by product type) to
enable analysis. These ‘metric breakouts’ help Planners
and Managers comprehend the factors contributing to the
status of each metric. This combination facilitates a wider
range of analysis methods than either presentation
Strategic
method supports alone. Analyze Comprehend Evaluate
Insight
At the bottom of the template, tables provide lists of the
Planner / Analyst Planning Manager
individual transactions for detailed analysis and
Comparative
Analyze Compare Synthesize
evaluation. Synthesis
128.
129. Trends Screen
Planning teams use the Trends screen to explore and
understand the state of the supply chain, and the
accuracy of their forecasts over time.
For this purpose, the Trends screen is primarily designed
to support the Exploratory Search (Explore-Analyze-
Evaluate) and Comparative Synthesis (Analyze-
Compare-Synthesize) chains, in which Planners and
Managers seek to identify new patterns in time and
supply chain activity and suggest potential causal
factors.
The value of the Trends screen is best understood in the
context of sequences of mode chains, such as Strategic
Oversight in companion with Comparative Synthesis or
Exploration Driven Search in companion to Strategic
Insight.
Exploration-driven
Explore Analyze Evaluate
Search
Comparative
Planner / Analyst Planning Manager Analyze Compare Synthesize
Synthesis
131. Planners: Mode Sequences
Planner / Analyst
Planners will follow the Strategic Oversight chain for Strategic
visibility into the status of their published final forecasts Oversight
vs. actual activity in the supply chain;
When errors or variances beyond an acceptable
Strategic
threshold emerge in one or more forecasts, they will Insight
switch to the Strategic Insight chain in order to
understand the new situation.
They will move on to the Comparative Synthesis
chain to revise their forecasts to reflect their newly Comparative Synthesis
generated insights and improved understanding.
They will then switch back to Strategic Oversight to
Strategic
maintain ongoing awareness of the accuracy and Oversight
effectiveness of their revised forecasts over time.
132. Mode Sequences
A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks
that produce a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or
customers.
“Process optimization is the discipline of adjusting a process so as to optimize some specified
set of parameters without violating some constraint. The most common goals are minimizing
cost, maximizing throughput, and/or efficiency. This is one of the major quantitative tools in
industrial decision making.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_optimization
Business Process Optimization
Strategic Strategic Strategic
Comparative Synthesis
Oversight Insight Oversight
133. Managers: Mode Sequences
Planning Manager
Planning Managers seeking to improve the forecasting Exploratory
practices and methods of their teams will employ a Search
sequences of mode chains that begins with Exploratory
driven Search, to identify exemplars of particularly strong
or weak forecasts and forecasting practices.
Strategic
Insight
They will move to Strategic Insight to understand how
and why these practices exhibit strength or weakness.
Comparative
Comparative Synthesis will help Managers formulate
Synthesis
new or improved measurements and forecasting
practices.
They will rely on Strategic Oversight to gauge the Strategic
Oversight
effectiveness of new or enhanced practices once in effect.
134. Mode Sequences
“Business process re-engineering is the analysis and design of workflows and processes
within an organization.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process_reengineering
Business Process Re-Engineering / Design
Exploration-driven Strategic Comparison-driven Strategic
Search Insight Synthesis Oversight
140. Language of Discovery Publications
Russell-Rose, T., Lamantia, J. and Burrell, M. 2011. A Taxonomy of Enterprise Search and Discovery.
Proceedings of EuroHCIR 2011, London, UK. http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-763/paper4.pdf
Russell-Rose, T., Lamantia, J. and Burrell, M. 2011. A Taxonomy of Enterprise Search and Discovery.
Proceedings of HCIR 2011, California, USA. https://docs.google.com/a/kent.edu/viewer?
a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxoY2lyd29ya3Nob3B8Z3g6NzdmYjc3OWY2ZjQ2Zjg4MQ
Russell-Rose, T. and Makri, S. 2012 A Model of Consumer Search Behavior. Proceedings of EuroHCIR 2012,
Nijmegen, NL.
Russell-Rose and Tate. Designing the Search Experience [forthcoming]
141. References & Resources
The sensemaking process and leverage points for analyst technology as identified through cognitive task
analysis, Pirolli, P., & Card, S. (2005)
https://analysis.mitre.org/proceedings/Final_Papers_Files/206_Camera_Ready_Paper.pdf
Exploratory search: from finding to understanding, Gary Marchionini, Communications of the ACM, Volume
49 Issue 4, April 2006
http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~i385t-sw/readings/Marchionini-2006-Exploratory_Search.pdf
Lamantia, Joe. “Goal Based Information Retrieval Experiences” JoeLamantia.com, (June 20, 2006).
http://www.joelamantia.com/informationarchitecture/goalbasedinformationretrievalexperiences
Lamantia, Joe. “10 Information Retrieval Patterns” JoeLamantia.com, (June 29, 2006).
http://www.joelamantia.com/information-architecture/10-information-retrieval-patterns
Lamantia, Joe. “Discovering User Goals / IR Goal Definitions” JoeLamantia.com, (June 24, 2006).
http://www.joelamantia.com/information-architecture/discovering-user-goals-ir-goal-definitions
Spencer, D. 2006. “Four Modes of Seeking Information and How to Design for Them”. Boxes & Arrows:
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/four_modes_of_seeking_information_and_how_to_design_for_them
Bates, Marcia J. 1979. "Information Search Tactics." Journal of the American Society for Information Science
30: 205-214
Bates, Marcia J. 1989. "The Design of Browsing and Berrypicking Techniques for the Online Search
Interface." Online Review 13: 407-424.
Broder, A. 2002. A taxonomy of web search, ACM SIGIR Forum, v.36 n.2, Fall 2002
142. References & Resources
Cool, C. & Belkin, N. 2002. A classification of interactions with information. In H. Bruce (Ed.), Emerging
Frameworks and Methods: CoLIS4: proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Conceptions of
Library and Information Science, Seattle, WA, USA, July 21-25, 2002, (pp. 1-15).
Glaser, B. & Strauss, A. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New
York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Jarvelin, K. and Ingwersen, P. 2004. “Information seeking research needs extension towards tasks and
technology”, Information Research, Vol. 10, No. 1. (October 2004)
Kuhlthau, C. C. 1991. Inside the information search process: Information seeking from the user's perspective.
Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, 361-371.
Marchionini, G. 2006. Exploratory search: from finding to understanding. Commun. ACM 49(4): 41-46
Norman, Donald A. 2006. Logic versus usage: the case for activity centered design. Interactions 13, 6
O'Day, V. and Jeffries, R. 1993. Orienteering in an information landscape: how information seekers get from
here to there. INTERCHI 1993: 438-445
Rose, D. and Levinson, D. 2004. Understanding user goals in web search, Proceedings of the 13th
international conference on World Wide Web, New York, NY, USA
Salton, G. 1989. Automatic Text Processing: The Transformation, Analysis, and Retrieval of Information by
Computer. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
Sutcliffe, A.G. and Ennis, M. 1998. Towards a cognitive theory of information retrieval. Interacting with
Computers, 10:321–351.
143. References & Resources
Cool, C. & Belkin, N. 2002. A classification of interactions with information. In H. Bruce (Ed.), Emerging
Frameworks and Methods: CoLIS4: proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Conceptions of
Library and Information Science, Seattle, WA, USA, July 21-25, 2002, (pp. 1-15).
Cool, C. & Belkin, N. 2002. A classification of interactions with information. In H. Bruce (Ed.), Emerging
Frameworks and Methods: CoLIS4: proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Conceptions of
Library and Information Science, Seattle, WA, USA, July 21-25, 2002, (pp. 1-15).
Ellis, D. 1989. A Behavioural Approach to Information Retrieval System Design. Journal of Documentation, 45
(3), pp. 171-212.
Ellis, D., Cox, D. & Hall, K. 1993. A Comparison of the Information-seeking Patterns of Researchers in the
Physical and Social Sciences. Journal of Documentation 49(4), pp. 356-369.
Ellis, D. & Haugan, M. 1997. Modelling the Information-seeking Patterns of Engineers and Research
Scientists in an Industrial Environment. Journal of Documentation 53(4), pp. 384-403.
Makri, S., Blandford, A. & Cox, A.L. 2008. Investigating the Information-Seeking Behaviour of Academic
Lawyers: From Ellis’s Model to Design. Information Processing and Management 44(2), pp. 613-634.
Meho, L. & Tibbo, H. 2003. Modeling the Information-seeking Behavior of Social Scientists: Ellis’s Study
Revisited. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 54(6), pp. 570-587.
148. Comprehending
‘To generate insight by understanding the nature or
meaning of an item or data set’
e.g. “I need to analyze and understand consumer-customer-market trends to inform
brand strategy & communications plan” – Director, Brand Image
149. Comparing
‘To examine two or more items to identify similarities and
differences’
e.g. “I need to compare our module set teardowns with competitive teardown
information to see if we’re staying competitive for cost, quality and functionality”
– Engineer
150. Exploring
‘To proactively investigate or examine an item or data set
for the purpose of serendipitous knowledge discovery’
e.g. “I need to understand the cost drivers for this commodity so I can negotiate better
terms with my suppliers and forecast business risk based on market indices”
– Procurement
151. Locating
‘To find a specific (possibly known) item’
e.g. “I need to find a new part with particular technical attributes and then source it from
the most qualified supplier”
– Engineer
152. Verifying
‘To confirm or substantiate that an item or set of items
meets some specific criterion’
e.g. “How can I determine if I am looking at the latest information for a part or supplier?”
– Supply Chain Specialist
153. Monitoring
‘To maintain awareness of the status of an item or data set
for purposes of management or control’
e.g. “I need to monitor at risk/failing customers/dealers so I can prompt my Account
Reps to fix the problems”
– Sales Manager
154. Analyzing
‘To critically examine the detail of an item or data set to
identify patterns & relationships’
e.g. “I need to know the cost drivers for a part such as materials that impact cost. Is the
relationship a correlation or step function for a part cost driver?”
– Engineering
155. Evaluating
‘To use judgement to determine the significance or value
of an item or data set with respect to a specific benchmark
or model’
e.g. “I need to determine my current state in my prints so I can evaluate if I have price
variation to negotiate a better price”
– Procurement
156. Synthesizing
‘To generate or communicate insight by integrating diverse
inputs to create a novel artifact or composite view’
e.g. “I need to prepare a weekly report for my boss (sales mgr) of how things are going”
– Account Rep
158. Comparison–driven Search
Analyze Compare Evaluate
Identify parts used for same function as candidates for commonization and complexity reduction - Core Engineer
Replace a problematic part (from sourcing, cost or technical perspective) with an equivalent or better part without
compromising quality and cost. - Engineering
Compare our module set teardowns with competitive teardown information to see if we’re staying competitive for cost,
quality and functionality. - Engineering
Compare a lead's performance claims with relevant benchmarks to assess the lead's claims - Portfolio Manager
See the difference between what we are spending and what we should be spending to maximize savings (between
actual PO and should costs). - Procurement
Analyze & understand gaps between current costs of commodity versus best in class manufacturing costs - Cost
Estimators
159. Strategic Oversight
Monitor Analyze Evaluate
Monitor how well we are tracking to revenue and margin targets by division - SVP Sales
Monitor and grade incoming incidents; close incidents, add incident close codes - Supervisor/Inspector
Monitor global commodity use in relation to plan/guidelines to identify gaps that require corrective action - Core
Engineer
Monitor how well we are tracking to revenue and margin targets by division - District Manager
Monitor & evaluate how our brand is performing in re: revenue, margin, and market share targets - Brand Manager
Financial Analyst: Monitor & assess commodity status against strategy/plan/target
160. Exploration-driven Search
Explore Analyze Evaluate
Identify opportunities to optimize use of tooling capacity for my commodity/parts - Core Engineer
Identify sales opportunities and targets (increased key customer market share across categories/brands; upsell-cross
sell; promotional targets - District Manager
Evaluate & optimize our product portfolio: Which products should we de-list and retire? What new products should we
be making/selling? - Category Manager
Identify the best customer/consumer/region targets for our brand/products - Brand Manager
Determine suppliers to use for parts in my program and execute sourcing agreements - Core Buyer
Identify customers/marketers/dealers failing & at risk of de-branding based on performance problems - Program
Administrator
161. Strategic Insight
Analyze Comprehend Evaluate
Track module cost versus functionality over time to determine trends. - Engineering
Understand the quality performance of a part and module set in manufacturing and the field so that I can determine if I
should replace that part. - Engineering
Understand a lead's underlying positions so that I can assess the quality of the investment opportunity - Portfolio
Manager
Understand a portfolio's exposures to assess portfolio-level investment mix - Portfolio Manager
I need to understand the cost drivers for this commodity so I can negotiate better terms with my suppliers and forecast
business risk based on market indices. - Procurement
162. Comparative Synthesis
Analyze Compare Synthesize
Analyze and understand consumer-customer-market trends to inform brand strategy & communications plan -
Director, Brand Image
Find out how many parts I have in my module set of parts and find ways to reduce cost across them - Engineering
Formulate scope & strategy for sourcing and gap closure - Core Buyer
Analyze and understand a market: marketer network, competitive position, customer sat, & share, etc. to inform brand
strategy and communications plan - Brand Image Analyst