The Role of Social Interaction Filter and Visualization in Casual Browsing

Traces of social interaction in information spaces have the potential to improve information exploration. We evaluated interactive interfaces that utilize social interaction history. More specifically, we compared the value of a social filter and social interaction visualization in supporting casual browsing. We hypothesized that information filtering in general plays a more important role than visualization, as it provides additional control for users to browse information collections. Our experimental results showed that, compared to the baseline interface, the social filter increased subjective user satisfaction and was perceived by the study participants to enhance their effectiveness in finding interesting information. However, there were no significant differences between the social filter and social visualization systems. Our analysis suggested that the synergy of information filtering and visualization is more effective than each feature working separately.