The Impact of SearchTrails on the Quality of Collaborative Search

Abstract

Several collaborative search systems build upon real-time collaboration during search processes. With the software SearchTrails, we present a novel way of capturing and exchanging the search process between collaborators. We achieve this by asynchronously exchanging the newly developed search trails between collaborators and thus overcome the necessity of real-time interaction for search support. In a study with 29 participants, we evaluate the value of search trails as collaboration artifacts to answer the research question whether search trails improve the quality of collaborative search results. We confirm this and show that users can build upon work of co-searchers in a very efficient way by analyzing and extending the given search trails.