Jack Muramatsu

Transparent Queries: investigation users' mental models of search engines

Typically, commercial Web search engines provide very little feedback to the user concerning how a particular query is processed and interpreted. Specifically, they apply key query transformations without the users knowledge. Although these transformations have a pronounced effect on query results, users have very few resources for recognizing their existence and understanding their practical importance. We conducted a user study to gain a better understanding of users knowledge of and reactions to the operation of several query transformations that web search engines automatically employ. Additionally, we developed and evaluated Transparent Queries, a software system designed to provide users with lightweight feedback about opaque query transformations. The results of the study suggest that users do indeed have difficulties understanding the operation of query transformations without additional assistance. Finally, although transparency is helpful and valuable, interfaces that allow direct control of query transformations might ultimately be more helpful for end-users.

Computing, Social Activity, and Entertainment: A Field Study of a Game MUD

Are game and entertainment systems different than work-oriented systems? What drives the users experience in a collaborative game? To answer these questions, we performed a participant-observation study of a combat MUD, a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Our interest is in how this social world is arranged and managed (rather than, for example, in how participants form or display individual identities). The study explores the social arrangements and activities that give meaning and structure to the participants. We found that conflict and cooperation were the dominant social activities on this MUD, much more so than sociability. The games management played a critical function in maintaining and promoting these activities. Moreover, novelty and entertainment were important for the design of both the system features and the sociality itself.

Learning Probabilistic User Profiles: Applications for Finding Interesting Web Sites, Notifying Users of Relevant Changes to Web Pages, and Locating Grant Opportunities

This article describes three agents that help a user locate useful or interesting information on the World Wide Web. The agents learn a probabilistic profile to find, classify, or rank other sources of information that are likely to interest the user.

Social regulation in virtual spaces

The described dissertation focuses on social regulation of user behavior within virtual social spaces. A multi-year field study of two fantasy-based game MUDs (multi-user dungeons) was conducted to gain a detailed understanding of the work involved in regulating behavior in these virtual environments. This field study examines the work and techniques employed by game administrators (immortals) to maintain social regulation over their respective game MUDs. One key feature of social regulation in such virtual spaces is the use and possible use of specialized software routines to regulate specific behaviors. Ongoing analysis of the field study data is expected to provide an understanding of how aspects of the virtual world affect the manner in which social regulation is performed.