Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 10:24:29 -0500 (EST)
From: BRIAN NESIN <gsd95brn@mars.gsd.harvard.edu>
To: Henry Lieberman <lieber@media.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Results of the exercise
In-Reply-To: <9703010041.AA09722@ml.media.mit.edu>

Sorry,
Just got my computer and have been having some trouble with Netscape 
mail.  Lets try PINE.

2/22/97
Role:Searcher

It was definitely helpful to have the assistant.  I am not familiar with
different browsers' strengths and weaknesses.  I also was not familiar
with some browsing techniques, like the "Go" command.  In some ways we
ignored the roles of "searcher" and "assistant"; we basically acted as a
team.

I think that there are always certain innefficiencies to working with
someone for the first time.  Simply the time it takes to have a dialogue
with an assistant takes time.  In life in general, I prefer to work
alone.

We were cruising until we hit the President Clinton question.  I decided
that we should continue to work on it even though it was a question that
we might not be able to answer because I thought it might put our
ability to work together to the test.  The assistant did present a sort
of alternative solution: send the White House an e-mail.

The assistant would know what not to tell the searcher. In this
exercise, in which all of the questions were unrelated, this is perhaps
not as important, but in a situation in which all of the searches were
related (e.g. if you are doing research to write a paper, or to prepare
for a court case) the assistant must keep up with the searcher's
learning curve. This happens in a very small way when  selections you
have already browsed are a different color than those you have not. 

If the assistant were a computer, I would not have to be concerned about
its feelings.  If it gave bad advice, I could say: "Stupid Assistant"  I
think that if the assistant were a computer, I would probably learn to
circumvent some of the things it told me.  In some ways, I dislike
having my needs anticipated/assumed.  It annoys me when  Microsoft Word
97 assumes that I am making a list and puts me into List mode.  This
could be because I don't entirely understand how to use List mode.