Information Seeking Process Analysis

When users are in need of information, they are often faced with a personal task of sifting through numerous amounts of information on their own. Over the years many information professionals have developed a set of terminology for the process that is Information Seeking. Carol Kuhlthau developed a detailed overview of what happens during the information seeking process. She discusses that the information seeking process “is the user’s constructive activity of finding meaning from information in order to extend his or her state of knowledge on a particular problem or topic” (Kuhlthau, 1991). She found that a user is affected by three types of feelings: Physical, Affective and Cognitive. Each of these affects the user in different ways, but …show more content…
During this stage users browse through general information about the topic and they may start to feel uncertain once again. Users will begin locating information, read more about the topic and relate what information has been found to the information that is already known. Brainstorming ideas and developing strategies during this stage can make the rest of the process easier and less stressful. While this stage often begins the search process, users are also at risk of abandoning the search all together. There are many factors that come into play during this stage that can threaten the user or aid them. By developing strategies, users are less likely to walk away. As exploration begins users may feel a sense of inadequacy when performing searches or they may find information they feel is incompatible with their