Download - Searching for X: Search Interface Usability
Searching for X: Search Interface Usability
Lynn Leitte User Experience Designer / Information
Architect
J. Boye ConferencePhiladelphia, PA May 3-5,
2011
Agenda
• Introduction• Basic Search Behaviors• Information Need• What does this mean for your UI?• Case Study: Gerson Lehrman Group• Q&A
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Search Behavior
Basic Search Behavior• Cognitive Model • Standard Model • Berry Picking
• aka Dynamic Model
• Pearl Growing • Anchoring Bias
• aka Thrashing
• Pogo Sticking• Principle of Least Effort
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Information Need
Information Need
"An information need is a recognition that your knowledge is inadequate to satisfy a goal that you have."
"Information seeking is a conscious effort to acquire information in response to a need or gap in your knowledge.”
Donald O. Case Looking for Information, 2002
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Information NeedAn individual is searching for
something for a reason
• What are they looking for• Why are they looking for it• What do they expect to do with it once
they find it?
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Information NeedThat reason and
their understanding shapes
• Why they have chosen your site?• What search terms they will use?• The kind of data expected to be
returned in the results• The features they expect to accompany
the search and other related task flows
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Information Need Examples
I need a read on Motorola Android development because I am considering whether to invest in an open source mobile app company.
« Motorola Android development » and
« telecommunications product manager »
I need to know how common are oil pan failures on Honda cars approximately 10 years old because I am in disupute with the service department .
« Honda service 10901 » and « oil pan stripped threads »Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
What does this mean for your UI?
Interactions should support • Tasks specific to your user• Learning about your data• Alternate views• Disambiguation• Recognition vs. Recall• Search & browse working together
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
User Research Is Needed
• Helps you understand • Context• Offline drivers• Expectations• Model of typical information need for
your users and your data
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Can search logs help you?Yes and No…some needs are easier to extrapolate than others from the keywords
• « Honda service 10901 »• « oil pan stripped threads »• « Motorola Android development »•« telecommunications product manager »
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Search AlgorithmsAccuracy
• Stemming, • Term adjacency• Entity extraction • Balance recall & precision
Use available data • Metadata and other structured data fields• Full text• Abstracts
Concept matches• « alternative fuel » and « wind energy »
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Case Study:
Gerson Lerhman Group
What’s Gerson Lerhman Group
• Service provider to investment firms• B2B• « Expert Network »• Confidentiality and SEC Compliance• « white glove service »
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG RMP Site
• Client Site • 3 year old platform for self-service• Low useage• Low conversion• Best use was as sales tool• Search was considered core, but
lack luster
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search Results
Before
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
User Research @ GLG
• Contextual inquiry with US clients• Search log analysis• Metrics analysis (with caveats)
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Research Showed…• Drivers varied greatly
• How much industry knowledge• Where in their project pipeline• Need for a specialist or generalist
• Search results were considered • uneven at best • off the mark at worst
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Research Showed…cont.
• Facet useage at about 10%• «show similar » feature was not
used • Profile Questions and Biography
were tied as the most important and convincing piece of information
• Employment history also important
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Clients found most useful:
– Q&A – Current & Former employer– CM biography (via click through on name)
“First thing I do is go to the Q&A. Sometimes then I go to the bio to see if I’m interested.”
“I look at Q&A responses to the questions usually. I get a good sense if he’s right for who I am looking for.”
“I’ll do like this [roll over to open the bio snippet] and read the bio. Definitely helpful.”
Research Showed…cont.
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Clients did not use as first cut criteria:
– Practice Area– Geographic location text (not facet)– Council Programs flag or status– Project history– Services offered
“I never do anything other than calls. Written reports – I understand what it’s there for, but I don’t use it.”
The number of projects…“not really, although if he is doing mostly consulting and not spending enough time in the space, it could be a red flag.”
Research Showed…cont.
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search UI changes
« Streamlined » and « fattened »•Removed some data points•Increased biography•Added Q&A•Changed the « snippeting »•Made call to action buttons smaller
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search UI changesGulf between design feedback and user research findings
Design•Even, regular layout•Streamlined•Light
Research•Blocky, irregular•Overweight•Information dense
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search Results
Layout prefered by Design & Product
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search Results
Layout prefered by Users
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search Results
After
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search Results
After
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
GLG Search Results
Later roll out changed the calls to action and added list functionality
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Success of New Search Results• Immediate + 17% conversion from search• Immediate + ~15% conversion from profile
(product) page• Month over month conversion increase
after 4 months was +17%• Client satisfaction went up• Customer support group asked for similar
search results in their app
Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011
Search Patterns by Peter Morville &
Jeffery Callendar
Search ResourcesSearch User Interfaces by Marti A. Hearst
Information-Seeking Behavior in the Digital Age: A Multi-disciplinary Study of Academic Researchers by Xuemei Ge
Information Seeking Behavior in New Searching Environments by Colleen Cool, Soyeon Park, Nicholas Belkin, Jurgen Koenemann and Kwong Bor NgLynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011