@article{furnas89vocabulary,
title = {The vocabulary problem in human-system communication},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
author = {G. W. Furnas and T. K. Landauer and L. M. Gomez and S. T. Dumais},
journal = {Commununications of the ACM},
number = {11},
pages = {964--971},
publisher = {ACM},
url = {http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=32206.32212},
volume = {30},
year = {1987},
description = {The vocabulary problem in human-system communication},
abstract = {In almost all computer applications, users must enter correct words for the desired objects or actions. For success without extensive training, or in first-tries for new targets, the system must recognize terms that will be chosen spontaneously. We studied spontaneous word choice for objects in five application-related domains, and found the variability to be surprisingly large. In every case two people favored the same term with probability <0.20. Simulations show how this fundamental property of language limits the success of various design methodologies for vocabulary-driven interaction. For example, the popular approach in which access is via one designer's favorite single word will result in 80-90 percent failure rates in many common situations. An optimal strategy, unlimited aliasing, is derived and shown to be capable of several-fold improvements.},
issn = {0001-0782}, doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/32206.32212},
keywords = {ir text-mining }
}
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