MySearch: Customized Search
A common complaint about FirstSearch search screens
is that they are too complex.
The same people who make these complaints ask for more functionality,
often, functionality that is little used.
In efforts to address this conflict,
FirstSearch has developed three search screens
(four, if you count the Home screen).
In this document, I propose creating one search screen --
or more properly, one search form --
that is meant to satisfy all needs for all users.
It is called MySearch, and is configured interactively by each user,
with options for persistence across sessions.
Users would be able to add search boxes, control the number of indexes shown,
show features like index and thesaurus browsing, etc.,
and the next time the search screen is seen,
it would be as the user left it.
Background
In creating different screens to meet the needs of different types of users,
FirstSearch presents more than twice the number of options any user might use.
In addition to cluttering up the screens,
there is added development cost for user interface code and online help.
Advanced Search
The FirstSearch Advanced Search screen, especially for WorldCat, is an example
of a full featured search screen meant to address almost any searcher's needs.
The WorldCat Advanced Search screen features:
- three search boxes
- boolean operators between search boxes
- index menus with 30 indexes arranged in a hierarchy
(most of which are used in less than 1% of searches)
- buttons for each input field to browse the indexes for specific terms
- limits for Year, Language (default 31 or all 486 languages), and Number of Libraries holding items
(with reasonable usage for Year and Language, although almost all results
are ordered with the most widely held items shown first)
- limits by document type, audience, content type, and format
- limits by specific libraries' holdings
- rank options (almost always left to the default)
- a seldom-used single button to access a thesaurus to find subject headings,
Although much effort have gone into the design of the search screen,
it is at best imposing and at worst overwhelming to casual users.
Based on usage statistics, more than half of the screen is used
in less than 1% of searches.
That does not include searches that did not happen because users were scared away.
Expert Search
Compared to the WorldCat Advanced Search screen, the WorldCat Expert Search screen,
which is seldom used, presents:
- one large text area instead of three input fields connected by boolean operators,
the idea being that expert users could edit complex queries
- 82 indexes instead of 30, almost all of which are almost never used
(more indexes are shown when browsing indexes from the Expert Search screen)
- on-screen help for patterns, boolean combinations, and proximity queries
Basic Search
The WorldCat Basic Search screen hides most of the above
and presents separate boxes for each of the following indexes:
Keyword, Author, Title, ISBN, and Year.
If the user interface language is anything other than English,
a checkbox is shown to allow limiting to that language.
Buttons leading to index-specific help are provided for each field,
along the some format examples.
When FirstSearch 5.0 was released,
the Basic Search screen featured a single box with radio buttons for three indexes
(Keyword, Title, Author).
It was the default search screen, but FirstSearch administrators had the ability
to change that default to Advanced or Expert Search.
Purposely missing from the Basic Search screen:
- Thesaurus
- Browse Index
- Rank Options
- Most Limits (Document type, Subtype, Library)
other Differences
There are other differences among the search screens:
- Persistence: Because the screens differ in the number of search boxes and indexes,
limits, and so on, it is difficult to maintain search options when switching screens.
- Usage: Expert search is not used much
- Success: Expert search has a higher zero-hit rate than the other screens
- Help: There are many files that customize Help for advanced and expert search
Stats for May 2006 |
Basic |
Advanced |
Expert |
Default Search Screen (Authos/Insts)
|
30751 (84%) / 20710 (86%) |
5427 (15%) / 3411 (14%) |
37 (0%) / 36 (0%) |
Queries (among all search types)
|
1,019,204 (25.9%) |
1,468,016 (27.3%) |
54,317 (1.4%) |
Zero-Hit Queries
|
228,843 (22.4%) |
359,900 (24.5%) |
16,998 (31.3%) |
Help Files (WorldCat)
*
|
? (3) |
167 (9) |
135 (8) |
Introducing MySearch
- progressive disclosure:
- multi-featured search:
- single search screen:
- customizable:
- persistent interface settings:
big advantage of cookies
- saved search terms:
Work To Do
- mechanism for organizing options
- mechanism for editing options (little boxes, menus, forms)
- mechanism for storing options (cookies vs LDAP)
- method to make some/most/all form changes local on the browser
(currently using a trip to server for changes)
- can allow users to cusotmize which indexes appear in menus
- could limit langs to those in browser locale
-
Example MySearch Configurations
add one for known item,
one for subject searching
May searches 3940432 worldcat
Title ti: 34.70 + 4.13
Keyword kw: 31.64
Author au: 19.56 + 1.71 + 0.93
Doctype dt= 20.52
ISBN nb: 8.66
OCLC# no: 5.17
Year yr: 6.09
Language la= 2.88
Material Type mt: 2.24
Subject su: 1.10 + 2.18
Publisher pb: 0.93
ISSN ns: 1.53
Library li: 1.06