An optimization-based approach to dynamic data content selection in intelligent multimedia interfaces

We are building a multimedia conversation system to facilitate information seeking in large and complex data spaces. To provide tailored responses to diverse user queries introduced during a conversation, we automate the generation of a system response. Here we focus on the problem of determining the data content of a response. Specifically, we develop an optimization-based approach to content selection. Compared to existing rule-based or plan-based approaches, our work offers three unique contributions. First, our approach provides a general framework that effectively addresses content selection for various interaction situations by balancing a comprehensive set of constraints (e.g., content quality and quantity constraints). Second, our method is easily extensible, since it uses feature-based metrics to systematically model selection constraints. Third, our method improves selection results by incorporating content organization and media allocation effects, which otherwise are treated separately. Preliminary studies show that our method can handle most of the user situations identified in a Wizard-of-Oz study, and achieves results similar to those produced by human designers. © 2004 ACM.