Examination and enhancement of a ring-structured graphical search interface based on usability testing Tomoko Kajiyama, Noriko Kando, and Shin'ichi Satoh   View Paper (PDF)   Return to Posters Abstract We evaluated the interactive retrieval functionality of the Concentric Ring View according to a series of usability studies. This is a ring structure-based graphical user interface, like a planisphere, for image retrieval with multi-faceted metadata. Attribute values for each facet are arranged on a ring, and retrieved images are displayed inside using search keys derived from the attribute values on the bottom part of the rings. By rotating the rings, users can browse retrieved images while adjusting search keys. The first usability test conducted with thirty six participants confirmed that: (i) novice users, even junior high school students, could use this interface; (ii) users could find images better than anticipated; and (iii) the interface was good at choosing the first relevant image, but users could not refine retrieval because they were unable to reuse retrieved results. To solve this problem, we added two functionalities, personal history for reuse and relevance feedback. With these improvements, we named the new version of the interface Concentric Ring View F+. A second usability test with seven participants confirmed the effectiveness of this newer interface. ©2006 Association for Computing Machinery