The use of grounded theory in identifying the user experience during search

Grounded theory offers a useful method for gaining an understanding of the context of the user experience when searching on an experimental multilingual image retrieval system. Observational, cognitive and affective data were collected while users searched for images in a multilingual environment. Straussian grounded theory was used to identify the elements of the dynamic process of information searching behaviour. The stages in which the data were coded are outlined to show how users' thoughts and actions were integrated in the analysis and to present and visualise the emerging concepts as representative of the context of the user experience

The Daily Image Information Needs and Seeking Behavior of Chinese Undergraduate Students

A survey was conducted at Beijing Normal University to explore subjects’ motives for image seeking; the image types they need; how and where they seek images; and the difficulties they encounter. The survey also explored subjects’ attitudes toward current image services and their perceptions of how university libraries might provide assistance. Based on the findings, this article summarizes the features of Chinese undergraduate students’ daily image needs and their information behavior related to images. The findings reveal the need to improve the image services offered by academic libraries and strengthen undergraduates’ information literacy with respect to image search and use