Summary: User Modelling as an Aid for Human Web
Assistants
Johan Aberg and Nahid Shahmehri
Department of Computer and Information Science
Link˜oping University, S­581 83 Link˜oping, Sweden
E­mail: {johab,nahsh}@ida.liu.se
Phone, Fax: +46­13­281465, +46­13­282666
Abstract. This paper explores how user modelling can work as an aid
for human assistants in a user support system for web sites. Information
about the user can facilitate for the assistant the tailoring of the con­
sultation to the individual needs of the user. Such information can be
represented and structured in a user model made available for the assis­
tant. A user modelling approach has been implemented and deployed in
a real web environment as part of a user support system. Following the
deployment we have analysed consultation dialogue logs and answers to
a questionnaire for participating assistants. The initial results show that
assistants consider user modelling to be helpful and that consultation
dialogues can be an important source for user model data collection.
1 Introduction
Previous research and recent commercial developments have highlighted the im­

Source: Aberg, Johan - Department of Computer and Information Science, Linköpings Universitet

Collections: Computer Technologies and Information Sciences