A User Study on Information Searching Behaviors for Designing User-centered Query Interface of Content-based Music Information Retrieval System

The purpose of this study is to observe and analyze information searching behaviors of various user groups in different access modes for designing user-centered query interface of content-based Music Information Retrieval System(MIRS). Two expert groups and two non-expert groups were recruited for this research. The data gathering techniques employed in this study were in-depth interviewing, participant observation, searching task experiments, think-aloud protocols, and post-search surveys. Expert users, especially majoring in music theory, preferred to input exact notes one by one using the devices such as keyboard and musical score. On the other hand, non-expert users preferred to input melodic contours by humming.