Exploratory Search as a Knowledge-intensive Process

This paper presents an exploratory search model capable of assisting the visualization of search patterns and clarifying best practices associated to users' decision-making process, with implications in areas related to information retrieval, humancomputer interaction, Web searching and educational technology. The Exploratory Search Knowledge-Intensive Process model considers tasks and search activities as part of a chain of actions that help clarify the reasons why a subject is searched. It also supports the visualization on how the information retrieved is used to define decision criteria about which data is worth extracting, to draw inferences, and to create a shortcut to understanding.