ExpertGuide for help desks-an intelligent information retrieval system for WWW pages

An intelligent information retrieval system, ExpertGuide/sup TM/, has been developed. Implemented by Java applets, it runs on WWW browsers. It has a function which guides users through the diagnostic process by suggesting questions to which users can easily discover relevant WWW pages by selecting appropriate answers. During the diagnosis process, the system accesses knowledge bases consisting of hierarchical indexes(referred to in the interface as a "table of contents"). Each page in a result set has a probability of usage assigned to it on the basis of past experience. An algorithm, bused on information theory, uses these probabilities to determine the amount of information to be gained by answering each given question. Questions are then presented in the order in which answering each will narrow down the result set most efficiently, this allows users achieve useful results with fewer questions. This paper describes the effectiveness of ExpertGuide when used as a help desk system.