Exploratory search

Exploratory search is a specialization of information exploration which represents the activities carried out by searchers who are:[1]

  • unfamiliar with the domain of their goal (i.e. need to learn about the topic in order to understand how to achieve their goal) or
  • unsure about the ways to achieve their goals (either the technology or the process) or
  • unsure about their goals in the first place.

Exploratory search is distinguished from known-item search, for which the searcher has a particular target in mind.

Consequently, exploratory search covers a broader class of activities than typical information retrieval, such as investigating, evaluating, comparing, and synthesizing, where new information is sought in a defined conceptual area; exploratory[2] data analysis is another example of an information exploration activity. Typically, therefore, such users generally combine querying and browsing strategies to foster learning and investigation.

  1. ^ Ryen W. White and Resa A. Roth (2009). Exploratory Search: Beyond the Query-Response Paradigm, San Rafael, CA: Morgan and Claypool.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).