When we talk about search, what do you think about? Algorithms? Databases? Search is one of the most commonly used tools on the web, yet we treat it like a math problem. If we start with human behavior, expectations and patterns, we can design a search that is easier and more satisfying to use. We'll cover how users think of search, how they behave in information environments, common mistakes in testing and designing search, and how to make a better finding experience.
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Search is a Tardis
• Search lets you go everywhere in time and
space
• Search is there when you need it, where
ever you are
• Search is bigger on the inside
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Search is a system, not a page
• It underlies all activities on the web.
• It is an environment people are learning to
live in: ambient search
• It must be accessed everywhere the user
may need it, from desktop to ipad to kiosk
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Is search so different?
• User behave differently when searching
• Much faster
• Requires articulation rather than recognition
• Expectations high
• Tunnel vision
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Search must be Easy
• Help overcome “query block”
• Offer tools for articulation
• Use disambiguation tools
• Give answers, not just links
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Articulation Problems
• The vast number of searches are under 3 words
• IN the US, 42% are single-word queries
http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/keyword-stats.html
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Vertical Search
• As part of the system, how does vertical
search help?
– Disambiguation tool
– Allows for greater precision
– Some searches highly consumable
– Raises awareness of offering
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What do you know?
• Search is a question whose answer is not
always a website (or an article)
• What ANSWERS are possible?
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Search must be Fast
• Must retrieve results quickly
• Must load results quickly
• Must be read quickly
Scan time is as important as load time.
Every pixel has a job to do.
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Findable
Tag it!
Images don’t have descriptive metadata
Many documents don’t have the words users use
Metadata can also let you give the user more options for
searching and displaying results
Search Analytics hint: Search Logs can provide insight into
the attributes users care most about
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Controlled vocabularies
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A=B A
B
A B
Equivalence
Christmas=
Xmas
Hierarchal
Winter
Holidays >
Christmas
Associative
Christmas
Tree | Santa
Claus
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Synonym rings include
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• Acronyms: BBC, British Broadcasting
Company; MPG, miles per gallon
• Variant spellings: cancelled, canceled;
honor, honour
• Scientific terms versus popular use
terms: acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin;
lilioceris, lily beetle
– From Synonym Rings and Authority Files
by Karl Fast, Fred Leise and Mike Steckel
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Why Bother?
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• Sometimes on
intranets, CV’s are
skipped
• You think you can
force people to use
proper terms
• But people are
lazy/busy/distracted
I’m tired of typing “Controlled
Vocabulary--- CV is shorter.
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Precision
• Usually left to the engineers (don’t do that)
• Users give up rather than check the
second page of results
• The first answer must be the right answer
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Jakob Nielsen:
“Poor search was the
greatest single cause of
reduced usability across
intranets we have
seen, aside from the general
lack of executive support
and budget. Search usability
accounted for an estimated
43% of the difference in
employee productivity
between intranets with high
and low usability.”
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Let’s Get Doctorin’ the TARDIS
Christina Wodtke
@cwodtke
cwodtke@eleganthack.com
Information Architecture:
Blueprints for the Web
www.boxesandarrows.com