Project

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 project 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 project demonstrates how Web browsers and search engines can proactively suggest content and services to users that are both contextually relevant and personalized. This project 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.