FUZZY TECHNIQUES AND USER MODELING IN SALES ASSISTANTS

Uncertainty and fuzziness are ubiquitous in the field of computerized selling. Therefore the mastery of these domains might be a key factor for the success of electronic selling. In this paper the Sales Assista nt is introduced. It employs user models in the problem solving and di alog control layers, and fuzzy techniques for the management of imprec ision. Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Analysis has proven its usefulness in p roduct evaluation if there are no severe interdependencies among the p roduct attributes. The user model in the Sales Assistant is constructe d unobtrusively on the basis of user behavior, and it uses short-term information. It increases the transparency and usability of a large hy pertext-like information system.