Date post: | 19-Jan-2017 |
Category: |
Design |
Upload: | kelley-howell |
View: | 201 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Understanding Search Behavior:Devcon 2014 Workshop
Introductions
Spencer Tracey, Katherine Hepburn, and EMERAC 1957 film, the Desk Set
Librarians
Google page rank
Who’s Who vs. Citation Index
A language of search and discoveryHow people search and the problems they encounter have has to do with:
Skills and knowledge Needs and goals Search context
UX Design research solves problems by:
Understanding people Understanding how people think Understanding the search context
Dimensions of search experience1st Dimension – user’s skill and knowledge2nd Dimension – information seeking behavior3rd Dimension – the search context4th Dimension – modes of search & discovery
Dimensions of search experience
1st dimension: skill + knowledgeUnderstand how users skill and knowledge shape how they use your products, the problems they have, and how you can resolve those problems.
Skill using the tool
Remember: They can be competent with technology, just not your site or application
Knowledge of the domain
Tool/Domain Skills Matrix
Domain novices: Overwhelmed by too much information Easily confused Difficulty judging relevance
Technical novices: Easily disoriented Distracted by demands of the search tools Use shallow pogosticking searches
Hub and spoke search pattern
SEARCHRESULT
S
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
The orienteers (double novices) Reformulate queries often Look at fewer pages Use conservative queries Afraid to venture far afield Spend more time on task
Problems for double novices Make small, incremental changes to queries Difficulty evaluating results Don’t trust results Easily confused and disoriented
Needs are cognitive and emotional:Cognitive Learning general strategies for using technology Learning how specific app or site works Learning domain terminology
Emotional Feeling distrustful of the app/site Feeling distrustful of the validity of search results Feeling afraid they’ll get lost Feeling afraid to take go down a different path
How to solve their problems?1. Breadcrumbs2. More like this / Related / Popular / Also viewed3. Already searched4. Scoped search5. Auto correct and auto suggest6. Tooltips7. Tutorial Overlays
Breadcrumbs: history or hierarchy?
Design patterns for discoveryMore like this / Related / Popular / Recommended
Design patterns for discoveryMore like this / Related / Popular / Recommended
Scoped search
Scoped search
Advanced search design patterns?(faceted search)
Advanced search design patterns?(search menus)
Advanced search design patterns?(advanced filtering)
Novice users Ignore advanced searching options Narrowly focused on understanding and
assessing Do not see search links, advanced search links
or icons Do not see faceted search panels in sidebars Faceted search tends to be used by more
advanced users
Double experts are teleporters
1. Formulate better queries2. Make fewer query reformulations3. Quicker to judge relevance4. Look at more pages5. Examine results more thoroughly
Problems for experts Frustrated by any slowness Frustrated by tools for novices Frustrated by inflexible search tools Frustrated by hard-to-find advanced search Clunky UI - Advanced search kitchen sinks:
- lack information hierarchy- Over-emphasize visual design at expense of
information
How to solve their problems1. Well designed advanced search menus2. Faceted search (filter search results by facets)3. Tooltips or animations to help users find
advanced tools4. Make it possible to customize the UI to the
user’s behavior
Well designed advanced search
Tooltips
Contextual tool tips
Contextual instructions
Tutorial overlays
In betweeners: Make the UI learnable
LearnabilityThe ease with which users gain awareness of features
Design patterns1. Contextual instructions2. Immersive, full-screen overlays3. Visual design cues4. Animation: magnetism – peep outs
2nd Dimension: Information seeking behavior
“What we find, changes what we seek”
Old modelInformation seeking as linear, static process
Information foragingInformation seeking as a journey: interactively changes as we gather more knowledge
What we find changes what we seek
Information ForagingAbundance of information + Limited energy =
How much energy will it cost? What will I gain?
1.
Does a bear chase a biker in the woods?
1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKdRlWz-1pg
Information Foraging
1.
We go after patches of information, pick the best and move on to another patch
We find and forage, pick the best and quickly move on
Information glut
1.
In a glut of information, users are quickly overwhelmed
Information Foraging
1.
Information Foraging
1.
Result: Information Snacking
>>
Design for information foraging Information scent: cues that help users decide what to do next
Information Scent
Trigger words in natural, human language Descriptive phrases in links Long, descriptive titles for search list items, for
modules, and for sections Make sure links look clickable Search keyword or hit highlighting Visual design and layout for scanning
Information ScentStrong = confident users who stick aroundWeak = uncertain users who leave
3 Click myth
Trigger words and images
Descriptive titles – Google SRP
Descriptive titles - Zillow Primary - all info here is primary, scanned first by user
Secondary – this info is secondary in important.
Hit highlighting – (showing none)
With hit highlighting
homes for sale in Norfolk
Hit highlighting
Use clear labeling Group into user-centered categories Easy-to-remember labels and categories Natural language over numbers (city name >
ZIP) Natural language, not jargon
Labeling - Trulia
Grouping results @ Google
Paid Result
Organic Result
News
Reference sources
Group results @ Facebook
SensemakingOnce users have information, what next?
Putting it all together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvtJ-zyE3Uk&feature=youtu.be
Sensemaking
Sensemaking
Three models for sensemaking Shoebox or junk drawer Evidence file Schemas
Shoebox or Junk Draw
Evidence File
Schemas
Putting it all together
Design patterns help with sensemaking
Email to self/friends My account Wish lists Favorite or save listings Customized labeling and categories Social search
3rd dimension: context matters
Putting it all together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvtJ-zyE3Uk&feature=youtu.be
User context shapes:
How user thinks and feels What user sees and notices How user performs a search
Four Layers of Context
Cultural layer - what is the cultural context of the search?
Four Layers of Context
Work task - how does the task and user’s goals influence searching behavior
Four Layers of Context
Information seeking - user exercises judgment about how, when, how long, and where to search
Four Layers of Context
Information retrieval formulating queries, assessing results, and reformulating as needed
Context and shopping
Contextual layers of gift shoppingUse a buyer’s guide
Contextual layers of gift shoppingScan search results to locate potential places to find
Contextual layers of gift shoppingLocate potential gifts from the search results
Contextual layers of gift shoppingLocating potential gifts from the search results
Using PB’s search
Contextual layers of gift shopping
1. Information retrieval layer: locating potential gifts from the search results
Using PB’s search
Cultural layer
1. Cultural layer: Importance of gift giving in wider culture, sub-culture, family, organization, even team within an organization
Work task layerOne or more tasks that need to be accomplished
Wikihow guide to gift giving
Seeking layer
User’s physical context of search
Many contexts of research
Physical context of search
Physical context of search Mobile has renewed interest in topic Always been crucial to UX research
Different mobile searches by context: Google/Nielsen (March 2013).
Desktop and physical context More likely to take on different roles (work,
leisure, family, etc) Longer searching sessions Less likely to search locally
Mobile and physical context
Mobile and physical context Driven by spatiotemporal context Short seeking sessions Very focused on specific tasks Tend to be location based Leads to a dynamic and flexible search
experience
A language of search and discoveryHow people search and problems they have:
Skills and knowledge Needs and goals Search context
UX Design research solves problems by:
Understanding people Understanding how people think Understanding the search context
Given all this, we have opportunities
1. Search isn’t about individual, isolated queries2. Search is a process with user skills and
knowledge improving along the way3. Search always takes place in a context –
cultural, work task, physical4. Opportunities to help users through the
entire search journey. 5. When we help people accomplish their goals,
they feel good about our brand and that’s a + 1 for us
What about our users?
Will – first time home buyer
30s, married, one child + Preparing to retire from Navy Lives in East OV Looking for suburbs Wife, Kyla, USED TO handle
finances and home buying Kyla has significant say in the decision but lets
Will do adetail work. Will gathers options, shares them with her. Will is more interested in an investment
Desires To feel knowledgeable Good deal Agent that’s on their side “Property Virgin Lady” Wants to trust that results are for not biased to
the agent Wants an online version of a buyer’s agent Wants to trust results but tends to rely on friends
and neighbors for suggestions
Fears
Agents Sales pressure Getting ripped off Missing deals Missing dream home Ovewhelmed by tradeoffs Am I doing the best search?
ContextTends to search mostly at nightUses a laptop – couple that shares the same laptop.
Doesn’t like to search on the go. They are usually too busy to stop and look at a house.
Sometimes, they will drive by a house if it’s nearby
Problems and dislikesWorries about validity and thoroughness of resultsReformulating queriesToo much information on pageDislikes how hard it is to tell one home from another. They all start looking alike after awhile.
Dislikes having to use multiple sites. Will use one search to locate house, then Trulia to figure out what comparable prices are.
On other hand, concerned that a single site won’t have all the information.
Wants a way to search by school district. Uses Nancy Chandler for school-based search.
Wants to be able to narrow searches but tends not to because it’s easier to scan through pages
Put me in control“I want to feel like I know what I’m doing.”
“It’s frustrating to find good deals that they turn out to be fake or there’s a catch.”
“I want it to be simpler. I spend a lot of time trying to find good deals, but there’s so many results. After awhile everything looks the same.”
Make it seem easy“I just want a way to figure out what we can afford. What neighborhoods aregood picks. You know?”
“I’d like to be able to punch choices into a tool and get back a list of houses thatare a match. But all these web sites. So many details. It’s too much.”
“I feel like I have to go through pages and pages.”
Make me feel smart
“What really surprised me was how, even when it seems like they can help you, they really don’t. I usedNavy Federal. But I still felt lost andconfused about where to start.”
“I’ve been to a seminar for first time buyers. But it was run by a real estate agent. I didn’t trust I’d get the right information.”
Domain expert / Tool novice
1. Knowledgeable about domain2. Good at evaluating content3. Quickly perform in-depth research4. May use hub and spoke search pattern as
crutch
Needs:– design patterns that help user learn tool/technology– design patterns to help orient user in search funnel
Domain novice / Tool expert
1. Good at manipulating search tools2. Confident with the search process/tools – but
this can mask lack of domain knowledge3. May find it difficult to evaluate relevance of
results
Needs – design patterns to help gain domain knowledge– UX design techniques to build trust
For more research-based insights about our users, check out the UX insights portal: http://redacted.com
Thoughts? Questions?