Searching for videos : the structure of video interaction in the framework of information foraging theory

Video plays an important role in our highly visual culture, and we are confronted with it constantly. Given the overabundance of video available, the attention of someone searching for video needs to be allocated efficiently among the video sources. Searching for Videos studies how to support interaction with video in such a way that people can efficiently satisfy their needs. Interaction is seen as a process of bridging gaps. The cognitive tools to bridge these gaps are defined in terms of information foraging theory or IFT. This theory states that people forage through an information environment in search of a piece of information that associates with their interests the way animals forage for food. In the framework of IFT, efficient video browsing takes the form of optimizing video patches and their related scent in a browsing structure that supports decision-making in a three-gap decision model. The qualities of video patches and scent were analyzed in two survey studies and two experiments. Within the restricted domains that were studied, the IFT framework (including the concepts of patches, scent, and gaps) proved highly useful for describing searching behavior. IFT is a valuable concept for understanding browsing: the research described here convincingly supports the theory. Moreover, the IFT framework provides useful tools for the design and evaluation of video interaction environments.