Incorporating Task Analysis in the Design of a Tool for a Complex and Exploratory Search Task

Due to its nature, a complex and exploratory search task is not directly actionable; it needs to be decomposed into actionable sub-tasks. Achieving this decomposition is usually not trivial for non-expert users. Also, the users need additional support to decrease their cognitive workload, regardless of their experience level. A tool designed for a specific task should handle the above issues. In this paper, we present a design approach that can help achieve this, and exemplify this approach using the search task of patent infringement discovery. We apply hierarchical task analysis to analyze a successful goal decomposition scenario for the task. This kind of decomposition makes explicit the tasks that are most responsible for the cognitive workload of the user. We then apply cognitive analysis to reveal the knowledge that enables such decomposition. Finally, we use these findings to design the tool in a way that reduces the load on the user and enables achieving decomposition for non-expert users.