The MusiFind Musical Information Retrieval Project, Phase II: User Assessment Survey

Abstract

From the 1994 CAIS Conference:
The Information Industry in Transition
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. May 25 - 27, 1994.

This paper summarizes the findings of the MusiFind user assessment survey conducted in August of 1993. This survey examined, through both quantitative and qualitative measures, among other things, the participants' music skills, musical tastes, histories of musical information seeking, as well as preferred query and retrieval methods. Suggestions for system improvement were also sought. Findings indicate a high level of acceptance of the project among the participants and suggest that there is a need for an automated musical information retrieval system. Also garnered were suggestions for future research and project development.