Tech Report HCIL-92-01

Williamson, C., Shneiderman, B. (Jan. 1992)
The dynamic HomeFinder: Evaluating dynamic queries in a real-estate information exploration system
Proc. ACM SIGIR `92 (Copenhagen, June 21-24, 1992) 338-346. Also Sparks of Innovation in Human-Computer Interaction, Shneiderman, B., Ed., Ablex (June 1993) 295-307. [Published Version]
HCIL-92-01, CS-TR-2819, CAR-TR-602

We designed, implemented, and evaluated a new concept for visualizing and searching databases utilizing direct manipulation called dynamic queries. Dynamic queries allow users to formulate queries by adjusting graphical widgets, such as slider, and see the results immediately. By providing a graphical visualization of the database and search results, users can find trends and excptions easily, User testing was done with eighteen undergraduate students who performed significantly faster using a dynamic queries interface compared to both a natural language system and paper printouts. The interfaces were used to explore a real-estate database and find homes meeting specific search criteria.