Context of Visual Information Seeking

Purpose Information seeking is an interactive behavior of the end users with information systems, which occurs in a real environment known as context. Context affects information seeking behavior in many different ways. The aim of this article was to investigate the factors that potentially constitute the context of visual information seeking. Design/methodology/approach We utilized Straussian version of grounded theory, a qualitative approach, to conduct the study. Using a purposive sampling method, twenty-eight subjects participated in the study. The data was analyzed using open, axial and selective coding in MAXQDA software. Findings The contextual factors influencing visual information seeking were classified into seven categories, including: “user characteristics”, “general search features”, “visual search features”, “display of results”, “accessibility and usability of results”, "task type”, and “environmental factors”. Practical implications This study contributes to a better understanding of how people conduct searches in and interact with visual search interfaces. Results have important implications for the designers of information retrieval systems. This study helps designers to redesign visual information retrieval systems to support the users. Originality/value – This paper is among the pioneer studies investigating contextual factors influencing information seeking in visual information retrieval systems.