Search strategies in content-based image retrieval

This paper describes two studies that looked at users' ability to formulate visual queries with a Content-Based Image Retrieval system that uses dominant image colour as the primary indexing key. The first experiment examined users' performance with two visual search tools, a sketch tool and a structured browsing tool, with different types of image query. The results showed that while users were able to successfully search on the basis of colour, and were able to formulate visual queries, their ability to do so was affected by search task type. Search task type was also shown to be related to search tool choice. However, the results of study two showed that while users were able to complete all of the tasks, there was evidence to suggest that a degree of compromise was present in the users' choice of image that was largely due to problems relating to query formulation.