[WEB4LIB] Re: "Search the Web Like a Map" article

[Avi Rappoport]

At 6:32 PM -0700 7/9/01, Jerry Kuntz wrote:
>OK, I'll bite...
>These visualization navigation tools have been popping up and 
>disappearing almost since the Web started, but none has gained 
>popularity. Doesn't that suggest that graphical representations 
>(beyond simple outlines and menus) of semantic concepts aren't very 
>intuitive?

I agree, and yet I think there are a set of people who just *love* 
the idea of graphical interfaces to searching.  They've been working 
on it since long before the Web, with starfield clusters and 
topographical displays and flythroughs and a whole bunch of creative 
but ultimately unsuccessful displays.

I have thought about this a while and I see two main problems with 
all of these visualization approaches:

+ Most searches are very general and don't require additional 
concepts.  For example, common queries such as "wimbledon", "delta 
airlines", "california lottery" don't indicate people are looking for 
more sports, more airlines or more lotteries!  The visual tools I've 
seen are good at expanding queries but not subdividing them.

+ I have yet to see a way of connecting the graphical display to the 
text that really works.  Labels can't be long or they take up too 
much room, so you're left with a few words and connected lists, 
rather than a single place to look.  I know that some people don't 
mind so much, but frankly, it makes my head hurt.

I'm convinced that there will be some useful visual tools for 
navigation first, search concepts later, as computer interfaces 
evolve.  The visualization folks are so committed to this idea that 
they'll keep working on it, despite the problems, and I admire them 
for that.

Avi
-- 
________________________________________________________________
Avi Rappoport, Search Tools Maven: <mailto:avirr at lanminds.com> 
Guide to Site, Intranet, and Portal Search Engines: 
<http://www.searchtools.com>