PhDThis thesis surveys the field of browse/search interactions. The results of this study form
the basis of a specification of a representation scheme and a library of access functions
which facilitate the creation of information-rich multimedia applications.
Evidence is provided for the hypothesis that browsing and searching are the extreme ends
of a continuum of data access methods and that many browse/search interactions contain a
mixture of both with the ratio varying as the interaction proceeds. These observations
motivate the integration of browsing and search facilities so that applications can be built
which exhibit both types of information access.
This work is tailored to the area of consumer multimedia with a review of the constraints
that this imposes on the authoring process and the applications themselves forming part of
this work.
The specification of the functionality of the function library, together with its
implementation and testing are described in detail. The library has been evaluated by
constructing a number of prototype applications which demonstrate the utility and scope of
the library
