Abstract: Dr. Crescenzi will present her research investigating the use of information retrieval systems under time pressure. Analyzing traces of users’ interactions with search systems, task outcomes, and perceptions of their process, Dr. Crescenzi found evidence that people are likely to exhibit one or more types of adaptation under time pressure: they may adapt their search process (e.g., more shallowly, decide not to search), adjust the search outcome (e.g., look at fewer pages of information), or adjust their task outcome (e.g., make a less specific recommendation, lower their task goal). In a separate study, Dr. Crescenzi found the use of a novel search interface feature to be motivated and inhibited by time pressure. This research, taken together, indicates that there are multiple possible mechanisms for adaptation under time pressure and the importance of considering the influence of contextual factors such as time pressure on behavioral measures of search interaction.

Short Bio: I am a postdoctoral research assistant at the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill working with Rob Capra. I am affiliated with the Interactive Information Systems Lab. In December 2019, I received my PhD in Information and Library Science from UNC SILS. My dissertation examined adaptation in information search and decision making under time pressure. My research interests include: the impact of time constraints and time pressure on the process and outcomes of exploratory information-seeking; information search in support of decision-making; metacognition in information-seeking and search; and designing and evaluating search systems provide better support for learning, problem-solving, and decision-making in exploratory or collaborative information-seeking. I also have a Master of Science in Information Science from UNC SILS and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.