Information seekers often want 'something just like this', an information object (song, book, movie) like one they already know about. This approach is the premise of many modern recommender systems, which ask information seekers for examples of things they like in order to return similar things. This type of information seeking, though, is not particularly well supported by search engines, partly because the ways in which objects can be alike are multifaceted and difficult to articulate, partly because the analogue might emerge in the process of information seeking. This approach to information seeking has been touched on repeatedly in information science literature but not examined in detail. In this paper, we present a pair of studies that explore both how people seek information using analogues online and the ways in which information objects might be alike. Our results offer a novel understanding of a previously underexplored but common behaviour, addressing how analogues are identified, how they are used in information seeking, and the ways in which objects can be analogous from an information seeker's perspective. Our work can support the development of recommender systems, conversational search approaches, and digital interfaces that support this common but little-examined type of information seeking.

It has been long acknowledged that browsing is an important information seeking strategy that should be well-supported by digital systems. However, a recent evaluation showed that existing digital systems do not meet the basic browsing requirements of users. That motivates this research to improve the existing digital support for browsing. To support browsing in the digital context, we need to know what browsing practices need to be supported. Previous literature illustrated fundamental browsing practices from multiple perspectives. Many empirical studies provided a detailed description of how these fundamental browsing practices happened in the physical context. This research will extend the existing understanding of browsing to the digital context and provide an enhanced foundation for future browsing designs.

Conference authorship, attendance and presentation is a key measure of quality in the HCI academic, yet we know conferences are not equally accessible for reasons that have nothing to do with quality. In this paper we examine two axes of diversity: gender, and geographic location (of both authors and conferences) and examine how they affect participation at major HCI conferences. Diversity in a group is associated with better outcomes from its work, and HCI has made numerous contributions to increasing representation in other communities. Reflecting on our own situation can produce recommendations for the planning of future HCI conferences, and identify challenges of representation that the HCI community should endeavor to address.

Reading is not simply a solitary activity. It occurs in a social context, which influences both a reader's choices about what to read, and their understanding about what they read. Digitally, direct personal communication and online discussions are two examples of social reading activity. However, our understanding of social reading is still young: we know some elements of the activity, but we lack a comprehensive picture of its behavioural elements and how they interact. This study aims to bridge that existing gap.