The vocabulary problem in human-system communication

@article{Furnas1987TheVP,
  title={The vocabulary problem in human-system communication},
  author={George W. Furnas and Thomas K. Landauer and Louis M. Gomez and Susan T. Dumais},
  journal={Commun. ACM},
  year={1987},
  volume={30},
  pages={964-971}
}
In almost all computer applications, users must enter correct words for the desired objects or actions. For success without extensive training, or in first-tries for new targets, the system must recognize terms that will be chosen spontaneously. We studied spontaneous word choice for objects in five application-related domains, and found the variability to be surprisingly large. In every case two people favored the same term with probability <0.20. Simulations show how this fundamental property… 
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