圖示查詢介面與認知風格對模糊資訊搜尋的影響

Abstract

隨著網路數位處理技術的快速發展，各種圖像相關資源變得普及且隨處可見，其中一個可能的未來應用領域便是資訊搜尋。目前的資訊搜尋大多仰賴基於使用者記憶線索而發展的「關鍵字」（Keyword）搜索，然而這樣的方式在圖像檢索上卻經常發生模糊（Vague）現象而遭遇挫折，利用圖像來搜尋成為解決該問題最可行的方法之一。

透過文獻整理，人類在圖像檢索時，傾向利用心像資訊（Mental images）中的「特徵」（feature）作為搜尋的線索。因此，本研究開發了基於圖示之圖像查詢介面原型來測量在不同模糊程度（非模糊、印象模糊、條件模糊）資訊搜尋下的效果。故實驗環境設定為一購物網站，其中控制組受測者使用「關鍵字介面」來完成搜尋任務，實驗組受測者則利用「圖示介面」的圖示（icon）「加減」方式來過濾資訊搜尋結果。此外，也將使用者的認知風格（Cognitive styles）納入考量。

實驗結果發現，圖示介面高度影響圖像風格者（Imagers）的搜尋表現，但對文字風格者（Verbalists）並沒有明顯效果。在非模糊情境中，圖示介面組使用者的搜尋表現較關鍵字介面組為佳；印象模糊情境中，兩種介面並未表現出顯著差異；條件模糊情境中，圖示介面組在速度、滿意度上皆優於關鍵字介面組。實驗總結，在模糊的搜尋問題上，圖示介面有助於提昇使用者的搜尋表現，並具有直覺操作的優點，透過圖像的便利創造了更好的使用經驗。

As digital processing capacity of Internet rapidly increasing, various image related resources have become popular and are widely seen. One of the possible future application domains is information search. The current information search on the Internet largely relies on “keyword”queries based on users’ memory cues. However, this approach often confronts problems especially in the vague information situations. Using images for search has thus prompted to be a promising way to solve such problem.

From literatures, people tended to use “features” based on their stored mental images as the query cue to search image information. Accordingly, an interface prototype of icon-based image search was developed to measure its effect in different vague levels (precise, vague-memory, vague-conditional) of information search. In an online shopping experimental environment, subjects of the control group used “keyword” query interface to complete the searching tasks, while subjects of the experiment groupused the “iconic” query interface to “add and subtract” iconsto filter the information searching results. In addition, subjects’cognitive styles were put into consideration as well.

According to the experiment results, contracting to the verbalists, the “iconic” query interface highly impacted the imagers’ performances;in the precise searching task, the group ofthe “iconic” query interface significantly outperformed the group of the “keyword” query interface; in the vague-memory searching task, the effects of different interface modes on subjects’performances were no different; in the vague-conditional searching task, subjects took less time and had higher satisfaction by using the “iconic” query interface than by using the “keyword” query interface. In conclusion, the “iconic” query interface might increase subjects’performances in the vague searching problems and was praised for the advantage of direct manipulation, which provided a better experience by the facilitation of images.