Searching through conversational interactions has been emphasized as the next frontier. Nowadays, conversational agents can generate natural language responses, transforming how we search for information. A key challenge in conversational information-seeking is how these agents present information: should they only reflect facts, cater to human cognitive preferences, or strike a balance between them? These challenges raise questions about aligning conversational agents with human cognitive processes. Our position paper emphasizes the role of narrative in addressing these questions. We explore how narratives influence human comprehension and propose a framework for optimal conversational narratives. These narratives aim to enhance interaction between humans and conversational agents in explanatory information-seeking scenarios.
The above figure shows an example of a conversational narrative information-seeking system in an exploratory search scenario. Incorporating narrative techniques such as analogical reasoning, which identifies similarities between the target concept (information being conveyed) and a more familiar concept (analogy), and progressive disclosure which reveals information gradually throughout the narrative, rather than presenting it all at once. For more information, refer to the following paper:
- Vahid Sadiri Javadi, Johanne Trippas, Lucie Flek."Unveiling Information Through Narrative In Conversational Information Seeking", In Proceedings of