A survey of temporal web search experience

Abstract

Temporal aspects of web search have gained a great level of attention in the recent years. However, many of the research attempts either focused on technical development of various tools or behavioral analysis based on log data. This paper presents the results of user survey carried out to investigate the practice and experience of temporal web search. A total of 110 people was recruited and answered 18 questions regarding their recent experience of web search. Our results suggest that an interplay of seasonal interests, technicality of information needs, target time of information, re-finding behaviour, and freshness of information can be important factors for the application of temporal search. These findings should be complementary to log analyses for further development of temporally aware search engines.