Stuff I've Seen

TLDR

Most information retrieval technologies facilitate discovery, but much knowledge work requires finding and re‑using previously seen information. The study presents the design and evaluation of Stuff I've Seen (SIS), a system aimed at facilitating information re‑use. SIS achieves this by maintaining a unified index of all information a user has seen across emails, web pages, documents, appointments, etc., and by leveraging the fact that the information has been seen before to provide rich contextual cues in the search interface. Initial evaluations with over 230 employees show that users find information more easily with SIS, rely on time and people as key retrieval cues, and reduce use of other search tools after installation.

Abstract

Most information retrieval technologies are designed to facilitate information discovery. However, much knowledge work involves finding and re-using previously seen information. We describe the design and evaluation of a system, called Stuff I've Seen (SIS), that facilitates information re-use. This is accomplished in two ways. First, the system provides a unified index of information that a person has seen, whether it was seen as email, web page, document, appointment, etc. Second, because the information has been seen before, rich contextual cues can be used in the search interface. The system has been used internally by more than 230 employees. We report on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of system use. Initial findings show that time and people are important retrieval cues. Users find information more easily using SIS, and use other search tools less frequently after installation.