Information foraging in E-voting

In this paper, we present a case study of human-information interaction in the online realm of politics. The case study consists of a participant observed while searching and browsing the internet for campaign information in a mock-voting situation while taking notes that were to be shared with others. Interaction analysis of the case study data consisted of applying Information Foraging Theory to understand participant specific behaviors in searching and browsing. Case study results show skewed time allocation to activities, a tradeoff between enrichment vs. exploitation of search results, and issues with lack of scent, low value perception, and value depletion of information. Potential implications for voter-centered design of e-voting portals are discussed and future work is outlined.