At Microsoft Research's "TechFest 2008" event, we will demo three search user interfaces (UIs) offering new experiences in persistence and collaboration: SearchBar, SearchTogether, and CoSearch.
Today's UIs treat search as a transient activity; however, people often conduct complex, multi-query investigations that span long durations and are interrupted by other tasks. SearchBar is a new type of browser history that supports complex Web investigations by assisting with task resumption and information re-finding. SearchBar accomplishes these goals by proactively and persistently storing query histories, browsing histories, notes and ratings in an interrelated fashion. Current UIs also treat search as a solitary experience; however, users often need to collaborate on searches, e.g., students working together on homework or families jointly planning a vacation. SearchTogether enables groups of remote users to synchronously or asynchronously collaborate on Web search, by providing group query histories, shared comments and ratings, automatic distribution of search results, session summaries, and integrated chat. CoSearch enables groups of co-located users to collaborate when sharing a single PC (as often occurs in schools and libraries) by allowing group members to use their phones as input devices: users can send text messages to the computer to queue up query terms, and can use their phones’ joysticks to operate cursors on the PC in order to queue up browser tabs for group viewing.
For more information about SearchBar, SearchTogether, and CoSearch, please follow the links below:
SearchBar Collaborators: Dan Morris, Gina Venolia
SearchTogether Collaborators: Eric Horvitz, Matt Maddin, Piali Choudury, ThuVan Pham
CoSearch Collaborators: Saleema Amershi