A goal-oriented user interface for personalized semantic search

Users have high-level goals when they browse the Web or perform searches. However, the two primary user interfaces positioned between users and the Web, Web browsers and search engines, have very little interest in users' goals. Present-day Web browsers provide only a thin interface between users and the Web, and present-day search engines rely solely on keyword matching. This thesis leverages large knowledge bases of semantic information to provide users with a goal-oriented Web browsing experience. By understanding the meaning of Web pages and search queries, this thesis demonstrates how Web browsers and search engines can proactively suggest content and services to users that are both contextually relevant and personalized. This thesis presents (1) Creo, a Programming by Example system that allows users to teach their computers how to automate interactions with their favorite Web sites by providing a single demonstration, (2) Miro, a Data Detector that matches the content of a Web page to high-level user goals, and allows users to perform semantic searches, and (3) Adeo, an application that streamlines browsing the Web on mobile devices, allowing users to complete actions with a minimal amount of input and output.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program In Media Arts and Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Faaborg, Alexander James

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Henry Lieberman.

• Architecture. Program In Media Arts and Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/34186

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/34186