[Web4lib] "A truly hideous search experience"

[Bruce Jensen]

Great catch, Marc, thanks ("Librarians enjoy searching; everyone else enjoys
*finding,*" a great person has said...)

In response to a couple off-list questions/comments: Our testing shows
people often ignoring instructions/caveats near the searchbox itself (even
in some cases when they're in *bold red letters*), hence the modal dialog
screen.

And yes, the code is yours to
keep<http://www.kutztown.edu/library/labs/twinsearchdemo.htm>if you do
see something you can use in your shop.

Additional question: When it goes live, off-network users will have to log
in before they see any results from the federated search tool (not the case
with the opac of course).  Any elegantly punchy ways to note this in the
dialog box?

Bruce Jensen




On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 6:50 AM, Marc Davis <marc.davis at drake.edu> wrote:

> There's some usability literature in libraries -- and my own experience --
> that would incline me toward "Find books, articles . . . " rather than
> "Search books, articles."
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Marc Davis | Systems Coordinator | Cowles Library | Drake University
> Mailing: 2507 University Avenue | Des Moines, IA 50311 USA | 515-271-1934
> Shipping: 2725 University Avenue | Des Moines, IA 50311 USA
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bruce Jensen" <flaco.jensen at gmail.com>
> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 2:36:08 AM
> Subject: [Web4lib] "A truly hideous search experience"
>
> We have a federated search tool. What we see in testing is that newbie
> users
> are confused by the results.  Some wonder where the books are, because
> after
> all they did a *library* search, so where in the search results are the *
> books?*
>
> I'm certain many of you have already experimented with--heavy air quotes
> around this next word--'solutions' like this one i've been working on.  Any
> feedback would be most welcome.  It has already been hailed by one of my
> co-workers as "a truly hideous search experience," so don't worry about
> hurting my feelings with your critiques.
>
> http://www.kutztown.edu/library/labs/twinsearchdemo.htm
>
> Mind you, the intention is not to try to solve any huge issues, but more to
> try to gently orient users without getting too much in their way.  Your
> thoughts on this, as well as on optimal wording etc. would be great.
>
> Thanks,
>
> bruce jensen
> Kutztown, PA
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